The Forbidden City 100 EP.07 Bronze Lions as Guardians | China Documentary
I am King of the Beasts, once known as swanee in Chinese, or lion in English.
I am the son of the dragon, and the Buddha rides on my back.
I came to China from the West during the Han Dynasty.
I was reincarnated and became the guardian of doors and households.
My sole task here in the Forbidden City is to protect the Emperor.
I'm not alone. My companions are close by.
There are more dragons in the Forbidden City than anyone can count,
but there are only six pairs of lions guarding the doorways.
This is the largest pair.
One is male, and one is female.
They've stood guard in front of Taihe Men Gate since the Ming Dynasty,
keeping an eye on everyone who entered the Forbidden City via the Meridian Gate
and crossed over the Jinxue River or Goldwater River.
When Chinese New Year comes,
people set off firecrackers to welcome the spring and pray for good fortune.
They also post prayers to the door god on their doors, asking him to keep their home safe.
Before, a door god was painted on the gates of the Forbidden City,
but now we are the only guardians left.
We are responsible for keeping emperors safe
and safeguarding the sanctity of the country's laws and traditions.
Although we came from the West, we have lived here for thousands of years.
Time has transformed us into a form of expression telling the stories of the past.
Their heads and bodies are round, and they rest on a square base,
as ancient Chinese believed that heaven was round and the earth was square.
They have 45 knots of hair on their heads,
in accordance with an ancient expression that held the numbers 9 and 5
in reverence for the Son of Heaven's mandate.
On the east side is the male lion.
His feet rest on a ball, representing his control of the gods of land and grain.
On the west side is the female lion.
She is holding a cub,
which represents that the family line will carry on for many generations.
In addition to the Gate of Supreme Harmony,
there are other pairs of lions, each different from the others.
They are found in the rear courtyard of the Forbidden City,
at the Gate of Heavenly Purity,
the Gate of Mental Cultivation,
the Gate of Tranquil Longevity,
the Hall of Eternal Spring,
and in front of Changchun Palace.
Unlike us, our brothers and sisters in the rear courtyard are gilded.
This is because they are much younger than we are.
In fact, we were of more honour.
We were always on duty in the front courtyard,
where the Imperial Edicts were announced.
We sat bolt upright and kept an eye on every movement around us all the time.
The job in the rear was a lot easier.
With their ears dropped and eyes squinted,
they were not at liberty to hear or watch everything going on
in the Imperial Resting Quarters.
The smallest lion is in front of the Changchun Palace,
where the Dowager Empress Cixi lived.
She turned the fierce lions into pussycats.
I have been watching the changes taking place for centuries.
I don't know how much longer I'll be here.
At least I'm not alone,
because I will always have her company at my side.