Two stone lions are placed in front of the house, not only to pay attention to the beauty of symmetry, but also to show their identity. This ethos began in the Tang Dynasty, and later the ancients reached a great understanding and followed suit.
So, why did the ancients take the lion as the prototype? You know, tigers belong to cats, and they are China's native BM. They are fierce by nature, but also a symbol of majesty! So why is the stone lion guarding the house instead of Shi Hu? In fact, this is very particular.
Photo: There are two stone lions at the entrance of the mansion compound.
There is such a record in "Searching for the Gods": "It is a pity that Fu Fan seeks to raise tigers in the mountains, and some criminals throw tigers without biting them; Therefore, the tiger is a big worm. " Although the tiger is a fierce beast, it is still no match for human beings, whether it is wisdom or courage. Now it has become an ornamental animal in the zoo.
In fact, during the Jin Dynasty, tigers were kept as pets. Lions originated in Africa and came to China as a tribute. The book Han Shu * Biography of the Western Regions written by Ban Gu records that the goods paid by western countries are not limited to gold and silver jewelry, but also a wide variety of animals, such as elephants, lions, bloody BMWs and so on. It is also recorded in the historical material Erya that during the Han Dynasty, King Shule presented a lion to the royal family.
But after all, lions are exotic species, which only appear in high-end affiliated hospitals such as the royal family, and are rarely seen by the people. Since it has no influence among the people, how can it become a town beast?
Photo: Shishi
When there are some grand festivals, lion dances are held in many places. As a matter of fact, lion dancing was very popular long before the Tang Dynasty. At that time, people were already dancing lions at the event site for entertainment.
It can be seen that the status of lions at that time was not high, and they could only have fun as jugglers. However, this situation changed greatly after the Tang Dynasty. This has to start with religious issues.
Before the Tang Dynasty, people believed in Taoism, because Taoism was a local sect with great influence and was believed by emperors of all dynasties. After Wu Zetian came to power in the Tang Dynasty, she changed the previous position of "teaching before Buddhism" and adopted the policy of paying equal attention to both religions. Besides, Wu Zetian also issued an order: From now on, Buddhism should be above Taoism and before Huang Guan. Fu and Huang Guan are Buddhist and Taoist robes, respectively.
Photo: Shishi
Wu Zetian relied heavily on Buddhism and regarded many famous monks as distinguished guests. In addition to raising the status of Buddhism through political means, she also changed people's views on Buddhism through various channels. Under the background of respecting Buddha, people began to gradually accept and believe in Buddhism and worship Bodhisattva. Buddhism prevailed in the period of Wu Zetian, and has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people after years of change.
The lion is a sacred animal in Buddhism, and its natural status has been greatly improved. It is recorded in "Buddha said that Prince Ruiying opened the sutra" that when the Buddha was born, 500 lions came from the snow-capped mountains and waited for the door.
Lions have appeared in many similar Buddhist scriptures. As the patron saint of Buddhist scriptures, the lion has the function of exorcising evil spirits and protecting the hospital. Naturally, people began to follow suit, carving stones into lions and putting them in front of their homes to achieve the function of town houses.
Photo: Shishi
In this way, Shishi Town House spread like this. During the Tang Dynasty, many people believed in Buddhism, including wealthy businessman Dajia. In particular, these wealthy families are superstitious. For their great cause, they can have a town house animal care. Why not?
Although it is only a psychological comfort, this fashion has prevailed. What's more, only the rich can afford a stone lion, which has become a status symbol and is naturally a pleasure for the rich.
In this way, even unbelievers are affected, as if they can't show their identity without putting a stone lion at home. Originally a symbol of juggling, the lion has now become a patron saint. This is a unique moment!
Photo: Shishi
So why isn't there such a thing as Shi Hu Town House? Isn't the tiger awesome? Of course not, the tiger is the king of animals in the deep forest, and its status is naturally high. But in ancient times, there were many examples of tigers eating people, and the people were quite afraid. How can they put a man-eating tiger in front of their house? Everyone is afraid that the tiger will pit all his possessions.
In that era when there were many taboos, it was impossible for a man-eating tiger to become a beast of care. Besides, tigers are difficult to tame. Lions are easier to domesticate, so people prefer lions. What can a beast guarding the house do if he doesn't obey?
Therefore, these advantages of lions cannot be compared with tigers. But from the word of mouth, the tiger is still better. After all, he is the local BM and a symbol of Chinese civilization! In that case, the symbol of the tiger is so sacred, how can it be wronged as a town animal?