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Chinese Guardian Lions
Old statues of creatures that resemble lions can be found outside many Chinese temples and government buildings. In Chinese tradition, these statues have supernatural powers that enable them to protect a building from evil spirits. They are usually found in pairs, one representing a male and the other a female. Positioned outside the entrance of a building, they continually stand guard against evil spirits.
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This is a photo of a large guardian lion.
Most of the statues were chiseled from stone or cast in metal. Because artistic styles changed over the centuries, the appearance of the statues varies, and some of them only vaguely resemble a lion. In fact, most of the artisans who created the oldest statues had probably never seen a real lion, because the animals aren't native to China. But an Asiatic breed of lions lives in countries such as India, and occasionally one of the animals was brought to China and given to an ancient emperor as a gift. So even if an artisan had never seen a real lion, he or she could have had some information about their appearance.
The statues are sometimes called Shishi Lions. But the first Europeans who saw them called them Foo Dogs (or Fu Dogs), because some of them have a vague resemblance to dogs.
