The lion is a special animal to Chinese people. A pair of stone lions, a male and a female, are (common) seen in front of the gates of traditional buildings.
The lion (regard) as the king in the animal world so it represents power. The stone lions are also used to indicate the ranks of (official).
It is interesting to note that China had no lions originally. The earliest stone lions were sculpted the beginning of Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 AD) withintroduction of Buddhism into ancient China. In the Buddhist faith, the lioncan protect the Truth and keep off evils, is considered a holy animal of nobleness and dignity. In Chinese folk tales, the lion has become a symbol of (brave), power and good luck.
It was also popular(decorate) bridges with sculpted stone lions for the same reason. The (well)known of this is the Lugouqiao (also as Marco Polo Bridge) (build) from 1189 to 1192. A famous proverb says, “The lions on the Lugouqiao are uncountable.”
