Why are meatballs called lion heads?

According to Baidu Encyclopedia, Lion Head is a pleasant official name and a famous dish in Yangzhou. It is called "sunflower chop meat" locally, and it is called meatball, Four Joy Meetballs or big meatball in the north. This dish has a long history. It first came from the Sui Dynasty. Qi Huangong Wei Li made a lion's head to entertain guests. When it was served, the guests were full of praise, like a lion's head, so they took this opportunity to persuade Wei Li: "lord protector's half-life campaign has made great contributions and should be decorated with the lion's handsome seal." In order to commemorate this banquet, Qi Huangong changed the name of "Sunflower Chopping Meat" to Lion's Head. Hearing this, the guests praised him in succession. Because of this historical origin, the name lion head came from this.

Lion head, formerly known as sunflower ribs and sunflower balls, is a traditional dish in Huaiyang cuisine in China. Beginning in the Sui Dynasty, it is said that during Yang Di's lucky period, the chef made four dishes, sweet and sour mandarin fish, money shrimp cake, ivory chicken slices and sunflower chopped meat, with the theme of four famous scenic spots in Yangzhou, which was renamed Lion's Head in the Tang Dynasty.