China is since ancient times is no lion Ask the stone lion, lion dance original form is what?

The lion is not a species owned by China, the lion image began in the Han Dynasty, it is said that the lion is from the Western region. According to legend, in the Eastern Han Dynasty, when Emperor Han Zhangdi, the western region of the Dayuezhi country put a golden lion as a gift to the emperor of China. Later, with the introduction of Buddhism, the lion became a spirit animal endowed with divine power. In Chinese culture, the lion is used more as a mythical animal than a real-life one, joining the unicorn as China's spirit animal. The Tang Dynasty monk Huilin said, "The mythical animal is also the lion, which came out of the West."

I don't know when the lion became a good-luck charm for guarding portals. And it gradually merged with Chinese culture. The shape of the lion in different dynasties have different characteristics, the Han and Tang Dynasty is usually strong and powerful, the Yuan Dynasty, long and thin body strong, Ming and Qing Dynasty, more docile. In the Qing Dynasty, the lion carving has been basically finalized, "Yangzhou painting boat record" (made in 1795) stipulates that: "the lion is divided into head, face, body, legs, teeth, crotch, embroidered belt, bell, spinning threads, rolling chisel embroidery beads, out of the chisel cubs."

Stone lions not only have different characteristics of the era, there are obvious regional characteristics. In general, the northern stone lion appearance of the atmosphere, carving rustic; southern stone lion more spiritual, lively shape, carving a variety of ornaments, the lion cubs are not only in the hands of the lioness under the palm of the lion, some climbed on the back of the lion, lively and lovely.

As for the lion dance I think it is probably because the image of the lion on behalf of the auspiciousness of the rich, used to call for the use of the happy