Guardian lions (foo dogs)

A pair of stone or bronze lions guarding a gate in China: the male with a paw on a ball, the female with a paw on a cub. In English they are often called foo dogs or fu dogs, but they are lions.

Chinese mythology and symbols. Also called chinese guardian lions, foo dog meaning, foo dogs, foo lions, fu dog meaning, fu dogs, fu lions, lions of fo, shishi, stone lions.

Meaning

Pairs of lions stand outside temples, tombs, palaces and houses in China, and in front of banks, public buildings and Chinese embassies today, as the China Heritage journal notes. In Chinese they are simply stone lions (石獅, shíshī) or bronze lions. The Palace Museum in Beijing says the lion stands for the majesty of the emperor and has sacred and auspicious meanings, and counts seven pairs in the Forbidden City. At the Gate of Supreme Harmony a bronze pair stands guard: the male with his paw on an embroidered ball, for supremacy, and the female with a cub under her paw, for prosperity. China Heritage gives the usual arrangement as the male on the left and the female on the right.

Origin and history

Lions are not native to China. W. Perceval Yetts, in 1912, found no lion in the oldest Chinese art: the first appear on Han pottery, and lions were sent to the court as tribute in AD 87, though the Han artists, according to Laufer, copied Greek models rather than live animals. The lion of the gates, the “snarling monster loaded with shaggy mane and fantastic curls”, came later with Buddhism, Yetts wrote, as the stylised lion of India, first guarding the Buddhist law and sacred buildings and then put to secular use. China Heritage connects it to the Buddha’s title Shakyasimha, “Lion of the Shakya”, and notes that the sculpted lion became more Chinese over time and took on some features of a dog.

Why are they called foo dogs?

“Foo dog” is a Western name, used above all in the United States, beside fu dog, fu lion, lion dog and even “Peking foo dog”. China Heritage gives three possible sources: the word fó (佛), Buddha, the word fú (福), good fortune, or the look of Chinese dog breeds such as the chow, whose Chinese name means “puffy-lion dog”, and the shih tzu, “lion dog”. None of the three is settled. The V&A shows how far the misreading could go: Wedgwood’s “Chinese Tigers” pattern, made since the early nineteenth century, was inspired by the “Lions of Fo”, the Buddhist temple guardians.

The ball and the cub

The two lions are told apart by what lies under the paw. The Palace Museum reads the male’s embroidered ball as supremacy and the female’s cub as prosperity. On the Gate of Supreme Harmony the male rests his right paw on the ball and the female her left paw on the cub.

Guardians in Japan

Japan has its own guardian lions. China Heritage notes that those in Japanese temples, thought to have come from China by way of Korea, are called “Korean dogs”, komainu (狛犬). In China the lion also dances, at the New Year (lion dance).

Sources

Foo Dog-Lions (China Heritage), The Editor (Geremie R. Barmé), “Foo Dog-Lions”, China Heritage, 2018, with photographs by Lois Conner, China Heritage, introduction
Spot the Sacred Animals in the Imperial Palace (The Palace Museum), The Palace Museum, Beijing, “Spot The Sacred Animals In The Imperial Palace”, Google Arts & Culture, The Palace Museum, Lions; Guardian lions at the Gate of Supreme Harmony
Symbolism in Chinese Art (W. Perceval Yetts, 1912), W. Perceval Yetts, “Symbolism in Chinese Art”, read before the China Society, 18 January 1912 (Leyden: E. J. Brill, 1912), The China Society, pp. 25–26
Plate, ‘Chinese Tigers’ pattern (Victoria and Albert Museum), Victoria and Albert Museum, London, plate, ‘Chinese Tigers’ pattern, bone china, Josiah Wedgwood and Sons, early 20th century, Victoria and Albert Museum, summary description

The same shape elsewhere

Browse symbols formed from circles or curves and waves.

Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed October 10, 2026. How we research

Added October 10, 2026.

Report a problem