As I watch these lion dancers doing their thing, I can’t help but wonder: What’s the connection with China and Lions in the first place? Were Chinese importing lions from Africa thousands of years ago? Any why are Lions the symbol of England for that matter?
I’d have thought Tigers would have been a lot closer to China, at the very least.
Lions for England is an accretion of earlier arms of bits of land they owned at some point. Eg. Aquitaine. it’s built up the same way the ‘Union Jack’ is = St. Patrick, George & Andrew.
As I watch these lion dancers doing their thing, I can’t help but wonder: What’s the connection with China and Lions in the first place? Were Chinese importing lions from Africa thousands of years ago? Any why are Lions the symbol of England for that matter?
I’d have thought Tigers would have been a lot closer to China, at the very least.
There’s a good post on askhistorians about the England bit.
there would have been lions in Central Asia
wikipedia said a Han dynasty emperor got gifted a lion
Lions for England is an accretion of earlier arms of bits of land they owned at some point. Eg. Aquitaine. it’s built up the same way the ‘Union Jack’ is = St. Patrick, George & Andrew.