The lion in Chinese space and social life
This thesis is a systematic examination from a historical point of view of the rich diversity of forms and images of the lion motif in Chinese space and social life. Drawing on textual, linguistic and archaeological sources, it addresses the fundamental problem inherent in the study of the lion motif in China, that is, why a foreign import was adopted, transformed and assimilated into an existing culture and how it was then widely rendered in various forms and images as though it had been an indigenous image all along. The examination begins with a search for the origins, names for and appearance of the real lion in China and a comparison of this with the images, roles and powers of the ideological lion in the Chinese mind. It proceeds through an investigation into the liking of the ruling class for lions as tomb guardian beasts in their search for a better afterlife. The thesis then focuses on the adoption of the lion motif by ordinary people as a means of approaching the divine and gaining recognition, in the process of which the image of a ferocious beast was gradually transformed into that of a rotund pet. The pet-like “look” of the lion came to be associated with various vernacular cultures of Southern China and assumed a unique style during Ming (1368–1644), when the form and image of the animal became a living concept with little emphasis on its physical appearance. In other words, what perpetuated the significant role of the lion in Chinese space and social life was its conceptual image, not its physical shape. Two case studies, one based in Kinmen and the other in Sydney, further demonstrate that the physical appearance of the lion motif has little effect on the power and mechanism of the mighty animal in the Chinese mind. What matters most, when placing the lion motif in front of an entry way, is the reiteration or reenactment of the conceptual image of the lion through symbols, rituals and “traditional” beliefs by which this particular animal motif has become an enduring legacy of Chinese communities around the world. The thesis, then, summarises the changes in the lion motif and its transformation from a physical object to a living concept free from image and form constraints as a gradual process of Chinese perception that integrated the real animal with the imagined animal, strange and unfamiliar phenomena, and the dominant and popular cultures. The context of this integration may have been significantly influenced by the bureaucratic metaphor of the ruling class. The lasting meaning and significance of the lion motif, however, is due to the vision and determination of ordinary people, who are as much prone to seeking a comfortable space and the promise of a better life as have been their rulers.
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