Our bus dropped us off at the bottom of the hill, accompanied by a cheerful “Goodbye” and “Enjoy your visit” from the bus driver. The dense morning fog was beginning to lift, and as it did, we were able to see the famous stone lions that have steadfastly guarded the entrance to the National Palace Museum, Taipei, for decades.
Their regal presence gracing the entrances of Chinese imperial palaces, residences of high-ranking government officials, temples, classic Chinese landscape gardens, or historic cultural institutions such as the National Palace Museum, Taipei, symbolizes powerful protection, authority, prestige, wealth, and good fortune.
There were strict regulations regarding which officials were allowed to have these stone guardians placed outside the entrances to their residences. Prestigious officials with a first-grade ranking had stone lions with 13 lumps or clusters of curly sculptured hair on the tops of their heads. The number of hair clusters on the stone lions decreased based on the official’s rank, ending with the seventh-grade ranking.
Stone lions, or shishi (“lion” in Mandarin), are usually paired as male and female. The male lion is always on the left side of an entrance, and his right paw rests on a medium-sized ball. He is seen as a powerful force of life, and the ball beneath his paw signifies his power and dominion over the world.
The female lion stands opposite him, and her left paw rests gently on a small lion cub. This gesture represents the power of life and the nurturing instincts of the female. She is also seen as a symbol of inner strength, compassion, and healing. Together, they hold the “balance” of life between them.
The morning sun had burned off the remainder of the earlier fog as we began our climb up the many steps to the museum. By the time we reached the top, we were among the first visitors of the day, ready to explore some of its mysteries.
Text from Sue, Images from Sue and Web
