Starting from primitive society,
People think that the beast can protect itself,
There is a sense of admiration for them,
Therefore, it has also evolved a lot of beast themes,
Typical such as the stone lion in front of many building gates.
Lions have always been regarded as auspicious,
Among the many garden attractions in China,
Stone lions of various shapes can be seen everywhere.
Until modern times, in front of many large mansions,
There is also the tradition of placing a nursing home in Shishi Town.
The stone lion in front of the door is usually serious and serious,
You must not have thought that the lion has another side,
Are they specifically responsible for "funny"?
Lion: "Big brother, please let it go!" ”
Lion: "Please call me Meng Meng Meow, thank you~"
Lion: "Why, you have to work overtime tonight?!" ”
Lion: "Look at each other and look at each other again... Self-poking eyes"
Lion: "Do you know what it's like to win the lottery?" ”
Lion: "The king told me to come and patrol the mountains, looking for that... What is it? "
The stone lion was at the door,
Always give people a sense of might and majesty,
But the above...
It really brushed us a handful of three views.
But then again,
Whatever the lion looks like,
People regard it as a symbol of auspiciousness,
Zun called it "Rui Beast".
Stone lion in front of Tiananmen Square
How did this practice come about?
This custom of using stone lions as gatekeeper beasts was formed around the time of the Tang and Song dynasties.
During the Tang Dynasty, Chang'an City was the most glorious capital in the world at that time, and the government planned "Fang" – equivalent to the current neighborhood – as a residential area. The square has a wall and a gate to facilitate fire prevention and theft.
The gate is generally made of archway type, and the name of the square is written on it. The pillars are sandwiched by a pair of large stones to protect against wind and earthquakes and to fix the gate.
In order to avoid the rigidity and monotony of the stone, skilled craftsmen carved lions, unicorns and other beasts on it, which are both beautiful and practical, but also imply auspicious.
This should be the prototype of using a stone lion to guard the gate.
After the Song and Yuan Dynasties, Fang withdrew from the stage of history.
In order to reflect the momentum of their own families, some large households have simplified it with reference to the style of the door and set up a gatehouse. The pillar stone next to the gate evolved into a stone lion guarding the door. In the Yuan Dynasty, the stone lion guarding the gate went from a rich family to the people and became a sacred beast guarding the gate.
According to the "Zhi ji ji you" that inscribed local customs in the Yuan Dynasty, "in the capital of the eunuch Shuo Tax House, Xiekumen shou mostly cast lions with pig iron outside the left and right doors or with white stone people, as above." ”
It can be seen that since the Yuan Dynasty, lions have officially landed on the folk "Xiangrui Stage".
The watchman stone lions we see are squatting on a pedestal carved from a large stone, which is obviously a remnant of the original pillar stone.
Stone lion in front of a traditional house
Where did the stone lion come from?
The stone lion is an ornament often used in traditional Han Chinese architecture and can be seen in Chinese palaces, temples, stupas, bridges, mansions, gardens, mausoleums, and buttons.
The "lion" on the door
Jinli's "Wall Lion"
Lotus leaves and stone lions of Wuhou Temple
The image of the lion began in the Han Dynasty, the lion is not all species in China, it is said that the lion came from the western region.
Legend has it that during the reign of Emperor Zhang of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Great Moon Clan of the Western Regions gave a golden retriever lion as a gift to the Emperor of China. Later, with the introduction of Buddhism, the lion became a spiritual beast endowed with divine power.
In Chinese culture, the lion is more of a mythical animal than a real-life animal, and together with the unicorn it becomes a Chinese spirit beast. Hui Lin, a senior monk of the Tang Dynasty, said: "The fox is also a lion, out of the western region." ”
The shape of the lion has different characteristics in different dynasties.
During the Han and Tang dynasties, it was usually strong and powerful, during the Yuan Dynasty, the body was thin and powerful, and during the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was more docile. In the Qing Dynasty, the carving of lions was basically fixed.
The Yangzhou Painting Record (1795) stipulates: "The lion divides its head, face, body, legs, teeth, crotch, embroidery belt, bell, spiral thread, rolling embroidery beads, and chiseling cubs." ”
Why are the lions in front of the door in pairs?
In traditional Chinese architecture, there are rules for the two stone lions placed in front of the door. Generally speaking, they are one male and one female, in pairs, and most of them are left male and right female, which is in line with the traditional Chinese yin and yang philosophy of male left female right.
The male lion placed on the left side of the doorway is generally carved into the right front paw to play with the hydrangea ball, or put a hydrangea ball between the two front paws; the female lion on the right side of the doorway is carved into the left front paw to stroke the young lion, or a young lion lies between the two front paws.
A young lion at the foot of the stone lion of Wuhou Temple
The placement of the stone lion on both sides of the gate is based on the direction in which the person comes out of the gate.
When a person comes out of the gate, the male lion should be on the left side of the person, and the female lion should be on the right side of the person. When entering through the door, it is just the opposite.
If there are a pair of stone lions inside and outside the gate of some buildings, the outside of the door (that is, the direction of the entrance) is the male lion on the right side and the female lion on the left; the inside of the door (that is, the direction of the door) is the male lion on the left and the female lion on the right side.
That is to say, if you come out of the gate, the inside and outside sides of the door must be a male lion on the left, and the right side must be a female lion.
What is the meaning of the stone lion placed at the gate?
Status symbols
The lion is the king of the hundred beasts, and people like to place stone lions to show their noble status. Therefore, in ancient times, stone lions were used to guard the gates in the imperial palace, the royal palace, the government office, and the mansions, and the stone lions in Beijing's Tiananmen Square embodied the supreme right of imperial power.
Ward off evil spirits
The lion is the spirit beast in people's minds, and using the stone lion to open the gate can avoid the evil Najib, drive away the evil qi, and na lai xiangrui is a precursor to happiness and auspiciousness. Therefore, people like to place stone lions at gates or rural intersections to use them to ward off evil spirits, suppress ominousness, and protect the peace of factories and villages.
Why do lions step on hydrangeas at their feet?
In the Ming and Qing dynasties, in front of the royal strongholds and academies, lion sculptures would be placed as "gatekeeper beasts".
Beijing Summer Palace Buddha Xiangge lion rolling hydrangea sculpture
Generally, the male lion steps on a hydrangea ball at the foot, the hydrangea symbolizes power, commonly known as "lion rolling hydrangea ball"; the female lion, stroking a young lion at the foot, means the prosperity of the descendants, commonly known as "tai lion, young lion", which has become a custom.
"Lion rolling hydrangea balls, good things are behind", according to the "Hanshu Li Lezhi" record, the Han Dynasty has a folk "lion dance" tradition, two people dressed up as a lion, one person holding a color ball to tease it, up and down jumping, lively and interesting. ”
Why did the ancients combine the two things of lion and hydrangea?
Folk lion embroidery
Because the lion is a beast in the minds of the Han people, it has a great deterrent power, its posture is vivid and powerful, revealing the sacred, dignified and mysterious atmosphere.
Hydrangeas are balls made of textile products such as silk and floral cloth, and are called hydrangeas because of their bright colors. Hydrangeas are often used in traditional weddings, with the meaning of auspicious and festive, good things and good things.
Therefore, the lion rolling hydrangea ball means that disasters are eliminated, evil spirits are expelled, all disasters are driven away, and good things are about to come.
Tianjin Haihe Lion Forest Bridge was built in 1954
Later, due to the erosion of some stone carvings over the years, some edges and corners were smoothed out, and the demand for stone lions was increasing, and ordinary folk lions began to take the minimalist route. Stonemasons created according to their own favorites and their own ideas, and their shapes are very different, but they are also similar and changeable.
And the lion for stone carving,
Its meaning is not just a subject matter,
It is also people's expectations for a better life.
END
Small coded words are not tolerated
If you like it, please click on "Watching"