Lions are not produced in China. Why are the "Shishi" popular all over the country instead of "Shi Hu"?

There were no lions in ancient China. That doesn't mean you've never seen a lion. Before Ming and Qing Dynasties, China was very open. It communicates with West Asia through the Silk Road. Since Zhang Xiyu, China people have known lions from Iranian nearby areas. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the first lions to enter China were Asian lions from South Asia and Southwest Asia.

This is a gift from the Yue family to the Han government in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Later, Buddhism was introduced to China, and lions held a high position in Buddhism. Manjusri sits down and is a lion. When Sakyamuni was born, 500 lions came to congratulate him. Lions in Buddhism can maintain the correction and deterrence of the law. With the widespread spread of Buddhism in China, the lion was deified and became an animal worshipped in ancient China. Why is the position of the lion so high? To understand the thoughts of the ancients.

There was no such high productivity in ancient times. Now people are used to natural phenomena, but in ancient times, there was a reverence for nature. The ancients had a reverence for big cats. Big cats are keen, dignified and powerful. There are no lions in China. But there are tigers. Tigers are also very powerful. Then why not put Shi Hu, but put Shishi? There were no lions in ancient China. Only princes and nobles can see a few foreign tributes.

Usually, ordinary people can't touch lions. For them, lions are no ordinary animals. It is a god and a tiger. Of course, it is also very powerful. However, because China people are familiar with tigers and have no mystery, they generally don't regard tigers as spirit beasts, but rather as fierce beasts. Moreover, for the vast majority of ordinary people, the tiger is not an animal that can produce a sense of intimacy. Until the middle of last century, the tiger problem has been a problem that troubled the people of China.