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A special beast, Huaxia Rui pet
In the profound and profound Chinese classical culture, there is such an animal, it is not produced in China, and even until the Han Dynasty people really know it, but it has left a deep imprint in traditional Chinese culture.
It is written in the "Nancun Quit Farming Record" that it is particularly vivid:
On that day, all the beasts are sent out of the mountain of Banzai, and if the tiger, leopard, bear and elephant belong, one by one, and then the lion arrives. Short in stature, the golden retriever dog that the absolute family has. When the beasts saw it, they were afraid to bow down, and they did not dare to look up, and so did the pressure of qi. And each is fed chicken and duck game, and the beasts are inevitably fixed with their claws and remove their feathers with their tongues, but the lion blows them with his palms, and the feathers fall off one after another.
Ming Zhouquan "Lion Diagram" Tokyo National Museum Collection
It is the lion.
The story of the lion entering China
The lion was once widely distributed in Africa, Eurasia and North America, and in ancient Asia, it was more active in India, Persia, Babylon and other regions, but the story of the lion in China did not begin with Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions.
Many scholars believe that the suān ní (狻狻) in the pre-Qin literature most likely refers to lions. The introduction to it in "Erya" is "like a castor cat, eating tigers and leopards", which can already suppress a tiger and leopard, the king of a hundred beasts, worthy of its name.
Qing Zhang Weibang's "Foxy Map" in the collection of the National Palace Museum in Taipei
Middle Tang Yulin Cave 25th Cave
After Zhang Qian sent an envoy to the Western Regions to open up the Silk Road, the western regions such as the Yueshi Kingdom, the Resting State, and so on, paid tribute to the emperors of the Han Dynasty, and the lion was one of the important tributes.
Dongfang Shuo's "Records of the Ten Continents of the Sea" records the appearance of a lion of the Moon Clan Kingdom: "Shaped like a dog for fifty or sixty days, large like a tanuki and yellow in color." ”
Until the Zhenguan period, Tang Taizong was also very happy for kangguo to pay tribute to the lion, and ordered his secretary Yu Shinan to compose "Lion Endowment".
Ming 《Xifangong Lion Figure》
"Ming Xianzong Lantern Xingle Tu", Collection of the National Museum of China
Moreover, this phenomenon of exotic tribute to lions did not occur until the Qing Dynasty. According to records, the last time in history was in the seventeenth year of the Qing Kangxi Dynasty (1678 AD) when Portuguese envoys paid tribute to the Kangxi Emperor with African lions.
This kind of "special beast" is fierce and abnormal, And Zhang Hua's "Naturalist" tells the story of Cao Cao's Northern Expedition Wuhuan encountering a lion, and the lion was restrained by the beast (also suspected to be a lion). Although the lion did not show its might, it is used as the main villain in the story, and people can also get a glimpse of its impressions:
The personality of the people, the killing and wounding are numerous, the king is often led by the army hundreds of blows, the lion roars and rises, left and right salty. When the king suddenly saw something coming out of the forest, like a tanuki, he got up from the king's yoke, and the lion was coming, and the beast jumped up on the lion's head, that is, he did not dare to get up. So he killed him and got a lion. Also came to Luoyang, thirty miles of chickens and dogs were lying down, no barking.
Early Ming Dynasty Yellow glaze green color lion-shaped tile beast Nanjing Museum collection
Because of the difficulty of transportation, the number of lions at that time was very small, which can be described as a very rare thing, so the upper nobility mostly used lions as pets to raise and watch, at the same time, this is also a symbol of their status and wealth.
As a result, the common people do not even have the opportunity to see its majesty. However, the legend of the lion still flows from the palace to the outside of the palace, and the mysterious veil shared by the nobles has multiplied its value and become the strongest imaginary symbol of the beast in the hearts of the people.
Qing Dynasty Mahogany inlaid marble lion pattern middle hall (chair back part) Collection of the Study Club
The lion was integrated into Chinese art and culture during this period, and the earliest discovered lion art image is a pair of stone lions in the ancestral hall of the Eastern Han Dynasty, which is tall and majestic, but the appearance is more like a combination of lions and tigers, and even has a clear West Asian style.
Shandong Jiaxiang Wuliang Ancestral Stone Lion
The popular "thick burial style" in this period made the tombs of the upper nobles often set up a large-scale stone carving group, and the lion was one of the fierce generals in the town tomb beasts.
However, because the craftsmen do not have a deep understanding of its morphology, they will even add some imaginary details to make it more like a sacred beast when carving, such as inserting wings to become a winged lion, and scholars call it a lion-shaped town tomb beast.
In the 2015 Chengdu Airport Cultural Relics Survey, a giant stone lion with a height of 6.5 meters, a length of 4.7 meters and a width of 3.37 meters was also found, which can be called the "Chinese Lion King". Experts speculate that it may have been built to guard a temple on the mountain.
On the other hand, the image of the lion actually has a strong presence in regions such as India, especially in religious cultures. With the introduction of religion and other cultures, it penetrated deep into China, and even entered the Chinese mythological system.
The earliest surviving stupa in India, the Sant'd' Stupa (which began in the 3rd century BC in the Peacock Dynasty), has a lion carved on the south gate, and in the early statue of Shakyamuni, there is also a pedestal design of "Leo".
Even the "Transmission of Lanterns" compares the Buddha's saying to the "roar of the lion", and the Dharma is profound, like thunder through the ears - "When Shakya was born, he pointed to the sky and the earth... Roar as a lion: Heaven and earth, solipsism. ”
Sui Amitabha Buddha three bronze statues Shanghai Museum collection
With the introduction of religion and other cultures, the image of the lion further penetrated into China, and even entered the Chinese system of gods and demons - the Eastern Han Dynasty Huang Xiang's "Nine Palaces" designed the lion as a mount for the immortals.
In addition to the green-haired lion mounted by Manjushri Bodhisattva in the Lion Camel Ridge in "Journey to the West", there are also lion images such as the Lion Camel King and the Nine-Headed Lion, which all have good strength.
The flow of the lion image in traditional culture
Since the Han Dynasty, the image of the lion has begun to appear widely in various creations, the most common of which are three forms: lying lion, crouching lion and walking lion. According to scholars' analysis, the sources of these three forms may be inconsistent, and even represent different cultures.
However, for the traditional Chinese culture that gathers hundreds of rivers, only according to its posture can find the most suitable way to use, the squat lion is stable and majestic, just used to guard the tranquility of the family home; The lion walking lion is ready to go, and the momentum is even more intimidating, and can be used to guard the tomb heavy ground.
Northern Wei Foot Maitreya Statue Stele Stone Lion Relief Xi'an Forest of Steles Museum Collection
After the Sui and Tang dynasties, with the increase in the number of lion objects and the further spread of lion cultural images, the use of lion images in traditional culture has become more and more numerous.
In the image portrayal, it is stained with a strong color of the times, such as the Tang Dynasty lions are often strong and plump, high momentum, very suitable for "Tang Dynasty meteorological spokesman".
Tang Shishi, Collection of Shanghai Museum
Tang Shishi, Collection of Shanghai Museum
The lions of the Song and Yuan dynasties also seem to be secularized together, not only equipped with bells, ribbons, red ribbons and other ornaments, but also greatly converged in shape and charm, and even some crouched lions look shy, restrained posture, quite a bit of love and pity.
Song Yaozhou kiln green glaze carved flower lion petal-shaped lamp Shanghai Museum collection
The material life of the Ming and Qing dynasties was quite abundant, and many fields of arts and crafts developed to the peak. The lion image of this period tends to pay more attention to pomp and weather. For example, the janitor lions not only form pairs, but also distinguish between male and female.
The details of the place are even more exquisite to the extreme, taking the bronze lion of the Forbidden City as an example, its head is round, and the base is square, representing the round place of heaven. The male lion lives in the east, in the direction of sunrise, stepping on the hydrangea ball, representing the ruler of Jiangshan Sheji; The female lion lives in the west and caresses the young lion, representing breeding and taking care of the heirs.
In this period, the image of the lion has been described in great detail and completeness, and people have strict standards for the charm and temperament of the lion:
The lion is the chief of a hundred beasts, so it is called a lion. The coat color is yellow and green, the head is long and long, the hook claws and saw teeth, the ears are high, the eyes are lightning, the hair is huge, the hair is puffy, the tail is furry, the bucket is as big as a ball, the hair around the body is long, and the pine is like a dog. Yu Shinan said that he was a tiger and swallowed, split the rhinoceros, and his fierceness was so fierce, so the lion painter wrote his smile, not his might, and he was not good at painting lions.
The use of lion images in traditional culture
Of course, the love of lions will not be just because it is a rare "special beast", in the process of lion image dissemination, people have given it a deep cultural connotation, and even accumulated some classic themes with lions as the theme.
In the eyes of the ancients, the lion's greatest role is to ward off evil spirits and suppress evil. This point is clearly pointed out in the "Baopuzi": "There are also divine beasts, famous lions to ward off evil spirits, three deer lambs, copper-headed iron foreheads, and long-toothed chiseled teeth, thirty-six species, knowing their names, then the hungry ghosts and hungry beasts of the world, do not dare to offend people." ”
Song Cizhou kiln white ground black flower "town house" inscription lion pattern pillow Collection of the Palace Museum
This is also why lions should be placed at the entrance of the house, lions should be placed in the mausoleum Shinto, and the murals in the tomb should also be painted with lion images. Until now, we can still see stone lions facing each other at the entrances of many buildings, which have traveled through wind and rain and time, and have dutifully fulfilled their guardian duties.
In ancient times, this way of using it was actually constrained by the feudal social hierarchy, and the rare beast king of the lion had to be forbidden by the ruler first - the "Tang Huijiao" and "Song Huijiao" strictly stipulated that the stone lion could only be used in the imperial tomb Shinto, and even until the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, officials below the seven pins could not use the door lion.
Qianling Stone Lion
The second metaphysical role of the lion is a solicitation of wealth that no one can refuse. Ancient folklore has the "two lions... Even spitting out pearls, continuity", so the lion statue often has a jewel in its mouth. When people use the stone lion to attract wealth, they will also let their mouths close together, symbolizing that they do not vomit when they enter the wealth, so as to prevent leakage of wealth.
The love for lions in folk culture comes more from [harmonic sounds], lion harmonic sounds "teacher", so the big lion and the little lion, that is, the Taishi Shaoshi, the latter are the names of high-ranking officials, this theme is often used to pray for the prosperity of officials, early ascension to high positions, and there are old and young inheritance, generations of inheritance of the meaning.
Qingqianlong White Jade Taishi Lion Collection of the Palace Museum
Lions can also be combined with other things, such as lions rolling hydrangeas. Hydrangeas often appear in happy ceremonies, symbolizing auspicious and good things, and lions can ward off evil spirits, and their hydrangea play is not only delicate and cute, but also has the deep meaning of driving away evil spirits and greeting good luck. Therefore, as the saying goes: "The lion rolls the hydrangea ball, and the good thing is behind." ”
Qing Feng Xilu bamboo carving lion play ball Shanghai Museum collection
In addition to using various techniques in creation to draw the lion image or borrow its parts, people will also personally fight and play the lion.
There are clear records of lion dances in the "Tokyo Dream Hualu" and "Wulin Past Events", and this tradition continues to this day, even overseas, even overseas, Chinese children will use lion dances and dragon dances to express their love for traditional culture.
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