Also known as fu dogs, foo dogs, lions of fu, or Buddhistic or Buddhist lions, fu lions were originally guardians of the Buddha and admired for their superhuman strength, valor, energy, and as protectors and mounts for religious beings. When Buddhism arrived in China along the Silk Road, lions were protective symbols for Shakyamuni-Buddha, the historical Buddha, and over time became a symbol of the Buddha, Buddhism and the Dharma (Buddhist teachings). Lions shares many traits with the Buddha. The Buddha had the stately gate of a king-lion. His sermons were compared to a lion’s roar which came to represent the wide spread of Buddhist law, the dharma. Buddha Shakyasimha means “lion of the Shakya clan” referring to his father, the king of the Shakya clan. Pairs of male and female stone fu-lions have been placed in front of imperial palaces, tombs, religious structures, government offices and residences of the rich for protection since the Han Dynasty. The male is placed on the east representing yang (male energy) and the female on the west symbolizing yin (female energy). Lions were not native to China, so artisans had to envision how to portray them and created a blend of the Indian lion and the Chinese Pekingese dogs who had “prominent eyes, short noses, and wispy, cloud-like stands of hair floating from their chins, the backs of their forelegs and their heels…” (Elise Mitchell) and that exhibit courage and a fierce temperament. Generally depicted in pairs of male and female, the male’s paw on a ball represents the jewel of the law, the moon pearl symbolizing blessings and the sun while the female’s paw on her pup symbolize protection. The male protects architectural structures, and the female the contents and inhabitants. Sometimes the male is open mouthed and the female close mouthed and a pair’s open mouths means they are silently emitting the blessed mantra “aum” (Mitchell) and Williams says a pair of lions playing with a ball also has that propitious wish. (p. 254) Sometimes they were pairs of males playing with a ball or smaller lone males are a wish for good fortune.
Sources:
Elsie P. Mitchell, The Lion-Dog of Buddhist Asia, Fugaisia, New York, 1991.
Williams, C.A.S.,Chinese Symbolism and Art Motifs, Edison, Castle Books, N.D.
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Finely crafted antique boxes like this were often used to store jewelry and valuables in the top and money in the side drawer with a teardrop metal pull. Told it was a lucky money box, it was likely a gift to wish newlyweds a harmonious, successful and happy life. Auspicious carved images are symbols for…
While larger stone fu-lions pairs protected imperial and government buildings and rich residences, carvers in provincial areas took great liberties depicting these auspicious mythical animals as folk art in all sorts of public, religious and domestic settings. During the Ming and Qing fu lions were especially popular in smaller versions in homes and gardens as…
Chinese artisans devoted as much time and effort to create small accessories like home altar tables as they do with larger pieces. This home altar table is handcrafted with mortise-and-tenon joints, using no nails or glue which made it more stable and longer lasting. The surface blend multiple layers of different colors of blacks and reds…
During the Ming and Qing dynasties fu lion images were especially popular in smaller versions used in private homes on home altars, as free-standing decorative Buddhist statues, design elements on furniture and architecture and on utilitarian objects like candlestick holders and bed posts to bring blessings of fu and prosperity. In the Buddhist tradition, they…
Whimsical carvings of fu lions were the most popular mythical animals in Chinese homes, especially during the Ming and Qing dynasties, as free standing statues, designs on furniture, architectural elements and functional pieces in private homes or gardens or on a home altar to bring fu and the blessings to the home. This incredibly cute…
Mazu represents different ideologies among two distinct Chinese economic groups: the masses of devotees who adore her in oral traditions as the humble provincial deity “Goddess of the Sea” versus the imperial followers who revere her in written tradition as the sanctioned “Empress of Heaven.” Two centuries after her death she was imperially sanctified, transforming…
During the Ming and Qing dynasties small pairs of fu lions were very popular for use in private homes and outside as protective figures or in gardens. In the Buddhist tradition, they were portrayed as more friendly than fierce with their open mouths displaying sharp teeth but in a fanciful pose. They are a reminder that…
This 5-piece apple green glazed stoneware home altar set includes a central large censor flanked by rising pairs of candlestick holders and vases. These folk art ceramics were made at the Shiwan kilns in a small town near Foshan City in Guangdong Province where renowned, popular and well modeled pieces with vivid expression and colorful…
Chinese stone weights have been used for millennia as measurement that were standardized with each dynasty. There were also local applications as a non-standardized weight, securing a picnic cloth, keeping a scholar’s calligraphy paper immobile and as a garden accessory. These antique Chinese stone carvings were often auspicious shapes like animals, fruit, and vegetation. During…
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