Placement of Pair of Chinese Lions

[Cecil Lee]

Subject: How to properly place a pair of Chinese Stone Lions

You may have seen many buildings with lion statues in front. In many old Chinese buildings, there are two types of lion statues:

1. The Male Lion
1.1 The male lion is placed on the left side of the building.
1.2 Its mouth is open, which shows that the male is considered dominant in traditional Chinese culture.
1.3 The male lion holds a ball under its paw.

2. The Female Lion
2.1 The female lion is placed on the right side of the building.
2.2 Its mouth is closed, showing that the female is seen as gentle or submissive.
2.3 The female lion holds a cub under its paw.

You can see pictures of both the male and female lions at this link:
http://www.geomancy.net/mypictures/cgi-bin/mypictures.cgi?search=lion&img=8&cat=all&bool=and [no longer available]
The pictures in the link are:
lions1-1.gif (shows the female lion with a cub)
lions2-1.gif (shows the male lion with a ball)

Click the thumbnail picture for a larger image.

This is the meaning behind the original pair of lion statues.

Does your pair of lion statues match this description? YES / NO? If not, you may just have a regular lion statue.

Warmest Regards,
Cecil