What is the origin of lion dance?

As a folk art in China, lion dance has a history of thousands of years. Many people invite people to dance lions on important days and festivals. This custom originated in the Three Kingdoms period and was popular in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. It has a history of 1000 years.

According to legend, it was first introduced from the western regions, and the lion was the mount of Manjusri Bodhisattva. As Buddhism was introduced into China, lion dance was also introduced into China. The lion is a tribute brought back with the peacock after Emperor Wu of Han sent Zhang Qian to the Western Regions. However, the skill of lion dance originated from the "masked play" in Xiliang, and some people think that lion dance originated from the army of Liu and Song Dynasties in the fifth century, and then spread among the people.

Types of lion dance:

There are many kinds of lion dances. To sum up, there are "Southern School" and "Northern School" with different styles and characteristics.

The lion dance of the Northern School is mainly a performance of "lion dance". The little lion dances alone, and the big lions dance in pairs. One stands and dances at the lion's head, while the other bends down and dances at the lion's body and tail. The lion dancer is covered with a lion quilt, wearing green lion pants and golden claw boots of the same color as the lion's body. People can't recognize the lion dancer's body, and its shape is very similar to that of a real lion.

Although the Southern Lion is also a duet, unlike the Northern Lion, the Southern Lion dancers are danced in knickerbockers covered with colorful lions.