Lions and tigers are called the king of all beasts, one of them is from afar, the other is from the mainland, who is more powerful is also a controversial topic for a long time, but in daily life, the image of lions is the most, such as the gatekeeper lion, they are so powerful that people dare not come closer. However, at the east gate of Beijing's Xiangshan Park, there is a pair of funny hanging lions, what kind of lion is this? If you are also curious, the following Xiaobian will reveal the secret.
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Lion is a big cat, large and fierce, its vision, hearing and smell are very developed, especially the African male lion can grow to more than 3 meters long, weighing more than 250 kilograms, because the lion has no competitors, so it is also known as the "king of land". Studies have shown that lions first originated on the African continent 124,000 years ago, and lions began to leave the African continent about 20,000 years ago, so today there are lion footprints in African countries, the Middle East and southeastern Europe, and even India, but it is a pity that lions did not go to China.
According to historical records, the lion entered China during the Han Dynasty, that is, after Zhang Qian chiseled the western region and opened up the Silk Road, the lion first set foot on this ancient land of China. In the "Book of the Later Han Dynasty and the Biography of the Western Regions", it is recorded that "In the first year of The Emperor Zhang and the first year, the State of Rest sent envoys to offer Shizi", of which the State of Rest is today's Iran, and "Shizi" is the tongkan character of the lion. Since then, lions have entered the Central Plains and began to multiply here for posterity.
During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Buddhism also coincided with the introduction of Buddhism to China, and the lion in the Buddhist scriptures was a sacred mount, so in the minds of the ancients, the lion was also an auspicious beast, which also attracted much attention. During the Han Dynasty and the Wei and Jin Dynasties, lions were also the exclusive property of emperors and royal nobles, and they would also cast lions into huge stone sculptures on both sides of the mausoleum Shinto to show their status and exorcise evil spirits. Since the middle of the Tang Dynasty, lions have gradually entered the civil society, whether it is the emperor or the nobles, or the people of the city, they can use the lion as a beast to pray for peace, such as some large families in front of the door two stone lions, or bronze lions, and even gilded lions, in addition to the wealth of the master's family. In addition, all kinds of lion portraits and door stickers are also gradually popular, such as making a pair of lion paintings pasted on the gate as a door god, which can also play a role in exorcising evil spirits and praying for blessings.
Nowadays, there are countless lions left behind by ancient society, especially the lions in Beijing, after all, this is the capital of the Ming and Qing dynasties, and the emperors believe in lions. For example, there are seven pairs of well-preserved bronze lions in the Forbidden City, such as the Taihemen Bronze Lion, the Qianqingmen Bronze Lion and the Changchun Palace Bronze Lion. In addition, there are two pairs of bronze lions in the Summer Palace, which is also one of the favorite treasures of Empress Dowager Cixi, as well as lions in the Lama Temple, Beihai Park, Andufu Temple and other temples, but the most confusing thing is the lion in Xiangshan Park.
Located in the middle of Beijing's Haidian District, Xiangshan Park was once the imperial garden courtyard of the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, and every autumn the emperors of the Qing Dynasty hunted and stayed in Xiangshan, so Xiangshan Park is also very royal. At the east gate of Xiangshan Park, there is a pair of bronze lions cast in the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, and the drooping ears are visible as folded ear lions, so it looks a little silly, but it also has a majestic atmosphere from a distance. According to local citizens, for a long time in the past, the two lions were called "hanging palm lions" because each lion had a claw raised and suspended in mid-air.
Later, according to local cultural relics experts, the "hanging palm lion" in Xiangshan Park was not originally like this, because the things under the claws of the two lions were stolen during the Republic of China. After the founding of New China, some local residents spontaneously repaired and replenished the things, but they were stolen again not long after, so they were not repaired for a long time. It is reported that these two "hanging palm lions" for a male and a female, the male lion under the paw is a hydrangea ball, the female lion under the paw is a young lion, because the hydrangea and the young lion were originally bronze, so it was stolen as scrap copper sold, but unfortunately there was no monitoring before, so it is not easy to check.
In 2008, when the Olympics were celebrated, of course, the relevant departments approved, archaeologists restored the "hanging palm lion" intact, hydrangea and lion cubs are also restored to their original state, although the "hanging palm lion" is no longer hanging, but people have also become accustomed to calling it "hanging palm lion", and this name has been used to this day. It is worth mentioning that since the "hanging palm lion" has been repaired, it has never been stolen again, which also shows that people's quality has improved.
Cultural relics are the witnesses of history and the cultural heritage left by the ancients, and we must establish the concept of "protecting cultural relics as pride and destroying cultural relics as shame". At present, when we jointly build a beautiful new China, we must love and restore cultural relics, as well as protect other historical and cultural sites.
Resources:
"Xiangshan Park Chronicle" author: Xiangshan Park Management, publisher: China Forestry Publishing House
Wenlan Hairun Studio Editor-in-Chief Wen Xiucai, this article is written by: Special History Writer: Liu Lijiang's