Lions are native to Africa, West Asia and other places.
During the Western Han Dynasty, after Zhang Qian sent an envoy to the Western Regions, some countries in the Western Regions introduced lions, a large and ferocious carnivore, into the Han Dynasty in order to establish friendly relations with the Han Dynasty.
Lions were originally called "masters".
The Book of Later Han records that in the first year of the Eastern Han Dynasty (87 AD), the King of the Rest of the Han Dynasty, "Man qu", sent emissaries to offer "Shizi and Tiaozhi Dawu".
In the thirteenth year (101) of the Reign of Emperor Yong of Han, the King of Rest, Man Qu, once again offered to the Han Dynasty "Shizi and Tiaozhi Dawu." ”
In the second year of the Han Shun Emperor Yang Jia (133), Shule Guo offered "Master Son, Sealed Cow." ”
These exotic beasts were raised in the royal gardens and became the only ornamental animals in the royal family.
The Book of the Later Han Dynasty records: "... Horses of sweat and blood fill the Yellow Gate, and the flocks of giant elephants, masters, fierce dogs, and great finches eat outside. ”
It can be seen that during the Eastern Han Dynasty, the animals in the Royal Zoo were still very rich.
The Luoyang Jialan Records that during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the Persian king Hu presented lions to northern Wei and was intercepted by the rebellious Xiongnu Wan Qian [mòqí] ugly slaves.
It was not until the third year of Yong'an (530), when the imperial court put down the rebellion of the Wan Qian ugly slaves, that the lion was transported to Luoyang.
The Supplement to the History of the Tang Dynasty records:
In the last year of the tang dynasty (about 741 AD), a western country offered lions to the Tang Dynasty, and was tied to a tree at the station, which had a well next to it.
Somehow, the lion panicked and roared.
At this time, a suspected dragon animal in the well emerged from the well and then took off into the air, not knowing where to go.
"Marco Polo's Travels" also records: during the Yuan Dynasty, the royal family trained lions and performed some acrobatic programs.
In the forty-second year of Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty (1563), "Xiyi and Gong Lion".
Zhang Ziwen, the envoy of Shaanxi Province, personally received the country's ambassador, and trainers visited together to teach the skills of "practicing drama and dancing".
Lions are loved by the Chinese people, stemming from the fact that this animal has both a fierce and a docile side.
Therefore, in ancient times, more than five officials could stand stone lions in front of their doors, showing the majesty of officials.
The stone lion hair rolls in front of the palace gate are thirteen rows, the prince is twelve rows, and the prince is below, according to the size of the title, in order to decrease.
Later, private restaurants and other merchants also used stone lions to come to the town house and ward off evil spirits.
Training lions to dance was originally an acrobatic performance at the court, and later spread to the folk and evolved into lion dance folklore.