太和門青銅獅 Bronze guardian lion at the Gate of Supreme Harmony / 中國北京紫禁城 Forbidden City, Beijing, China / SML.20140430.6D.31382.P1.BW
Chinese guardian lions, traditionally known in Chinese simply as Shi (獅, literally “lion”), are a common representation of the lion in pre-modern China. Statues of guardian lions have traditionally stood in front of important Chinese architectures, and were believed to have powerful mythic protective benefits.
The lions are usually depicted in pairs. When used as statuory, the pair would consist of a male resting his paw upon an embroidered ball (in imperial contexts, representing supremacy over the world) and a female restraining a playful cub that is on its back (representing nurture).
Pictured is one of the bronze guardian lions outside the Gate of Supreme Harmony (太和門), the second major gate encountered when entering the Forbidden City from the south.
Photographed at the Forbidden City in Beijing, China with the Canon EOS 6D + Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L USM.
# More Information
+ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_guardian_lions
+ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gate_of_Supreme_Harmony
太和門青銅獅 Bronze guardian lion at the Gate of Supreme Harmony / 中國北京紫禁城 Forbidden City, Beijing, China / SML.20140430.6D.31382.P1.BW
太和門青銅獅 Bronze guardian lion at the Gate of Supreme Harmony / 中國北京紫禁城 Forbidden City, Beijing, China / SML.20140430.6D.31382.P1.BW
Chinese guardian lions, traditionally known in Chinese simply as Shi (獅, literally “lion”), are a common representation of the lion in pre-modern China. Statues of guardian lions have traditionally stood in front of important Chinese architectures, and were believed to have powerful mythic protective benefits.
The lions are usually depicted in pairs. When used as statuory, the pair would consist of a male resting his paw upon an embroidered ball (in imperial contexts, representing supremacy over the world) and a female restraining a playful cub that is on its back (representing nurture).
Pictured is one of the bronze guardian lions outside the Gate of Supreme Harmony (太和門), the second major gate encountered when entering the Forbidden City from the south.
Photographed at the Forbidden City in Beijing, China with the Canon EOS 6D + Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L USM.
# More Information
+ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_guardian_lions
+ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gate_of_Supreme_Harmony
太和門青銅獅 Bronze guardian lion at the Gate of Supreme Harmony / 中國北京紫禁城 Forbidden City, Beijing, China / SML.20140430.6D.31382.P1.BW