Chinese School of San Diego Chinese Lion Statues

A pair of Chinese Lion statues or Fudogs usually sites at the entrance to a house or a building. The are there to protect and to prevent evil from entering. The guard with bereaucratic authority, protector of truth and against evil of all forms They come in many vairiations of designs. They can be made of stone, marble, wood, bronze, copper, ceramic, jade or cemembt. The earliest lions were sculpted at the beginning of Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD). The pair is a male and a female lion. The male lion has its paw on a ball and the female has her paw playing with the cub. The male lion symbolized power and prestige and the ball represented the unity of the empire. The female playing with the cub symbolizes the offspring vitality They both represented Imperial strength and divinity The number of hair swirl bumps on their back and heads indicated the rank of the owner. Nowadays, you can see them in front of government buildings, official buildings or gates, commerce buildings, shops, restaurants, hotels, and banks. People enjoy talking to them softly about their wishes and padding on their head for good luck.