Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (January 2007)

Lion dance (simplified Chinese: 舞狮; traditional Chinese: 舞獅; pinyin: wǔshī) is a form of traditional dance in Chinese culture, in which performers mimic a lion's movements in a lion costume Traditional Chinese characters refers to one of two standard sets of printed Chinese characters. ... Simplified Chinese character (Simplified Chinese: or ; traditional Chinese: or ; pinyin: or ) is one of two standard sets of Chinese characters of the contemporary Chinese written language. ... Map of eastern China and Taiwan, showing the historic distribution of Mandarin Chinese in light brown. ... Pinyin, more formally called Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ... Japanese writing Kanji Kana Hiragana Katakana Hentaigana Manyōgana Uses Furigana Okurigana Rōmaji   ) are the Chinese characters that are used in the modern Japanese logographic writing system along with hiragana (平仮名), katakana (片仮名), and the Arabic numerals. ... Japanese writing Kanji 漢字 Kana 仮名 Hiragana 平仮名 Katakana 片仮名 Uses Furigana 振り仮名 Okurigana 送り仮名 Romaji ローマ字 The title given to this article lacks diacritics because of certain technical limitations. ... Jamo redirects here. ... Korean writing systems Hangul Hanja Hyangchal Gugyeol Idu Mixed script Korean romanization Revised Romanization of Korean McCune-Reischauer Yale Romanization Hanja is the Korean name for Chinese characters. ... Korean writing systems Hangul Hanja Hyangchal Gugyeol Idu Mixed script Korean romanization Revised Romanization of Korean McCune-Reischauer Yale Romanization The Revised Romanization of Korean is the official Korean language romanization system in South Korea. ... McCune-Reischauer romanization is one of the two most widely used Korean language romanization systems, along with the Revised Romanization of Korean, which replaced (a modified) McCune-Reischauer as the official romanization system in South Korea in 2000. ... The Vietnamese alphabet has the following 29 letters, in collating order: Vietnamese also uses the 10 digraphs and 1 trigraph below. ... Simplified Chinese character (Simplified Chinese: or ; traditional Chinese: or ; pinyin: or ) is one of two standard sets of Chinese characters of the contemporary Chinese written language. ... Traditional Chinese characters refers to one of two standard sets of printed Chinese characters. ... Pinyin, more formally called Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ... For other uses, see Dance (disambiguation). ... For contemporary culture after 1949, see Culture of the Peoples Republic of China. ...

Asiatic lions^[1] found in nearby India are the ones depicted in the Chinese culture. Trinomial name Panthera leo persica Meyer, 1826 Current distribution of the Asiatic Lion in the wild Synonyms Leo leo goojratensis (India) Leo leo persicus (Persia) The Asiatic Lion (Panthera leo persica; also known as Indian Lion) is a subspecies of the lion found only in India. ...

History

The lion dance originated in China close to a thousand years ago. The lion is traditionally regarded as a guardian creature. It is featured in Buddhist lore, being the mount of Manjusri. There are different variations of the lion dance in other Asian cultures including mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, Okinawa, Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore,with each region possessing their own styles. For other uses, see Lion (disambiguation). ... Buddhism is a variety of teachings, sometimes described as a religion[1] or way of life that attempts to identify the causes of human suffering and offer various ways that are claimed to end, or ease suffering. ... Statue of Manjusri (Monju) at Senkoji in Onomichi, Japan Mañjuśrī (Ch: 文殊 Wenshu or 文殊師利 Wenshushili; Jp: Monju; Tib: Jampelyang), also written Manjushri, is the bodhisattva of keen awareness in Buddhism. ... ... This article is about the prefecture. ... This article is about the Korean civilization. ...

Chinese lion dances can be broadly categorised into two styles, Northern (北獅) and Southern (南獅). Northern dance was used as entertainment for the imperial court. The northern lion is usually red, orange, and yellow (sometimes with green fur for the female lion), shaggy in appearance, with a golden head. The northern dance is acrobatic and is mainly performed as entertainment. Sometimes, they perform dangerous stunts.

Southern dance is more symbolic. It is usually performed as a ceremony to exorcise evil spirits and to summon luck and fortune. The southern lion exhibits a wide variety of colour and has a distinctive head with large eyes, a mirror on the forehead, and a single horn at center of the head. The lion dance also symbolises the myth of the Chinese new year This article is about the paranormal. ...

The Lion dance is often confused with the Chinese Dragon Dance, which features a team of around ten or more dancers. The Lion Dance usually consists of two people. Head of dragon dance costume Chinese Youth Society of Melbourne (Australia), performing at Chinese New Year - demonstrating a basic corkscrew trick Double dragon dance at Chongqing, China, September 28, 2002, during a weeklong celebration of modern Chinas National Day (October 1st) Dragon dance (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ) is...

Association with kung fu

The lion dance has close relations to kung fu and the dancers are usually members of the local kung fu club. They practise in their club and some train hard to master the skill. Alternative meaning: Kung Fu (TV series) Kung fu or gongfu (功夫, Pinyin: gōngfu) is a well-known Chinese term used in the West to designate Chinese martial arts. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Northern style

 Sound sample:

Accompanying the lion dance Image File history File links Lion_dance_percussion. ...

Musicians accompanying lion dance at Seattle's Chinatown-International District Night Market, Hing Hay Park (2007)

Problems listening to the file? See media help.

In the north the lions usually appear in pairs. Northern lions usually have long and shaggy orange and yellow hair with either a red bow, or a green bow on its head to represent a male or female.

During a performance, northern lions resemble a Pekinese Dog or Fu Dogs and movements are very life-like. Acrobatics are very common, with stunts like lifts or balancing on a giant ball. Northern lions sometimes appear as a family, with two large "adult" lions and a pair of small "young lions". Ninghai, in Ningbo, is called the "Homeland of the Lion Dance" (狮舞之乡) for the northern variety. Categories: Fictional dogs | Stub ... Ningbo (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Ning-po; literally Tranquil Waves) is a seaport sub-provincial city with a population of 1,219,900 in northeastern Zhejiang province, Peoples Republic of China. ...

Southern Cantonese style

Twin red and black Chinese lions at Seattle night market, Seattle (USA).

A Chinese Guan Gong (Kwan Kung) lion ushers in the Chinese New Year in Chinatown, Manhattan, New York City (USA).

Guangdong is the homeland of the southern style. The southern horned lions are believed to be Nians. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (2,592 × 1,944 pixels, file size: 840 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (2,592 × 1,944 pixels, file size: 840 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... City nickname Emerald City City bird Great Blue Heron City flower Dahlia City mottos The City of Flowers The City of Goodwill City song Seattle, the Peerless City Mayor Greg Nickels County King County Area   - Total   - Land   - Water   - % water 369. ... City nickname Emerald City City bird Great Blue Heron City flower Dahlia City mottos The City of Flowers The City of Goodwill City song Seattle, the Peerless City Mayor Greg Nickels County King County Area   - Total   - Land   - Water   - % water 369. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1001x888, 436 KB)A Chinese Dragon helps usher in the Chinese New Year (New York City, New York, USA). ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1001x888, 436 KB)A Chinese Dragon helps usher in the Chinese New Year (New York City, New York, USA). ... This is a Chinese name; the family name is Guan (é—œ) Guan Yu (關羽) (160–219) was a general under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms era of China. ... For other traditions of celebrating lunar new year, see Lunar New Year. ... A Chinese lion helps usher in the 2006 Chinese New Year. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Not to be confused with the former Kwantung Leased Territory in north-eastern China. ... Southern Chinese lion dance portrays the Nian For other uses, see Nien Rebellion. ...

The Cantonese style can be further divided into Fat Shan (Buddha Mountain), Hok Shan (Crane Mountain), Fat-Hok (minor style that exhibits a hybrid of Fat Shan and Hok Shan), Chau Ka (minor style performed by practitioners of Chau family style kung fu), and the Green Lion (Qing1 Shi1 - popular with the Fukien/Hokkien and Taiwanese).

Fat San is the style many Kung Fu schools adopt. It requires powerful moves and strength in stance. The lion becomes the representation of the Kung Fu school and only the most advance students are allowed to perform.

The Hok San style is more commonly known as a contemporary style. Contemporary Hok Shan style combines a southern lion head with Northern lion movements. Hok Shan style tries to reproduce a more life-like look, realistic movements, and acrobatic stunts. Its shorter tail is also a favorite among the troupes that do pole (jong) jumping.^[2]There is three important and the first colors of the lions. The lion with the white colored fur is considered to be the oldest of the lions. The lion with the goldish yellowish fur is the considered to be the middle child. Not the youngest or the oldest. And the black colored lion is considered to be the youngest lion so when people use this color lion it should move fast and quick like a young child.

When the dancing lion enters a village or township, it is supposed to pay its respects first at the local temple(s), then to the ancestors at the ancestral hall, and finally through the streets to bring happiness to all the people. There are three types of lions: the golden lion, representing liveliness; the red lion, representing courage; and the green lion, representing friendship.

Three other famous lion types can also be identified: Liu Bei, Guan Gong (Cantonese: Kwan Kung) and Zhang Fei. They represent historic characters in China that were recorded in the classic, Romance of the Three Kingdoms. These three were blood oath brothers that swore to restore the Han dynasty. This is a Chinese name; the family name is 劉 (Liu) Liú Bèi (Chinese: ; Pinyin: ) (161 – 223), courtesy name Xuándé (玄徳), was a powerful warlord and the founding emperor of the Kingdom of Shu during the Three Kingdoms era in ancient China. ... This is a Chinese name; the family name is Guan (關) Guan Yu (關羽) (160–219) was a general under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms era of China. ... Zhāng Fēi (張飛, c. ... For other uses, see Romance of the Three Kingdoms (disambiguation). ...

The Liu Bei (Cantonese: Lau Pei) lion is the eldest of the three brothers and has a yellow (actually imperial yellow as he became the first emperor of the Shu-Han Kingdom) based face with white beard and fur (to denote his wisdom). It sports a multi colored tail which encompasses the colors of the five elements, as it was believed that being the Emperor, he had the blessings of the heavens and thus control of the five elements. There are three coins on the collar. This lion is used by schools with an established Sifu (teacher) or organization and is known Rui shih (Shui Shi) or The Auspicious Lion. This is a Chinese name; the family name is 劉 (Liu) Liú Bèi (Chinese: ; Pinyin: ) (161 – 223), courtesy name Xuándé (玄徳), was a powerful warlord and the founding emperor of the Kingdom of Shu during the Three Kingdoms era in ancient China. ...

The Guan Gong (Cantonese: Kwan Kung) lion has a red based face, black fur, with a long black beard (as he was also known as the "Duke with the Beautiful Beard"). The tail is red with black trim. He is known as the second brother and sports two coins on the collar. This Lion is known as Hsing Shih (Shing Shi) or the Awakened Lion. This lion is generally used by most. This is a Chinese name; the family name is Guan (關) Guan Yu (關羽) (160–219) was a general under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms era of China. ...

The Zhang Fei (Cantonese: Chang Fei) lion has a black based face with short black beard, culiflowered ears, and black fur. The tail is black with white trim. Traditionally this lion also had bells attached to the body, which served as a warning like a rattler on a rattle snake. Being the youngest of the three brothers, there is a single coin on the collar. This Lion is known as the Fighting Lion because Zhang Fei had a quick temper and loved to fight. This lion is used by clubs that were just starting out or by those wishing to make a challenge. This is a Chinese name; the family name is Zhang Zhang Fei (?-221 AD) was a general of Shu Han in the Three Kingdoms period of China. ...

Later an additional three Lions were added to the group. The Green faced lion represented Zhao Yun or Zhao (Cantonese: Chiu) Zi Long. He has a green tail with white beard and fur and an iron horn. He is often called the fourth brother, this lion is called the Heroic Lion because it is said he rode through Cao Cao’s million man army and rescued Liu Bei’s infant and fought his way back out. The Yellow (yellow/orange) face and body with white beard represented Huang Zhong (Cantonese: Wong Tsung) , we was given this color when Liu Bei rose to become Emperor. This lion is called the Righteous Lion. The white color lion is known as Ma Chao (Cantonese: Ma Chiu), he was assigned this color because he always wore a white arm band to battle against the Emperor of Wei, Cao Cao, to signify that he was in mourning for his father and brother who had been murdered by Cao Cao. Thus this lion was known as the funeral lion. This lion is never used except for a funeral for the Sifu or some important head of the group, and in such cases it is usually burned right after. Even if it is properly stored, it is not something one would want to keep, as it is symbolically inauspicious to have around. It is sometimes though, confused with the silver lion which sometimes has a white like coloring. These three along with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were known as the “Five Tiger Generals of Shu,” each representing one of the colors of the five elements. Zhao Yun (? - 229[1]) was a major military general during the civil wars of the late Han Dynasty and during the Three Kingdoms era of China. ... Huang Zhong (黄忠; style name: Hansheng 汉升) (? - 220), was born Nanyang (in modern day Henan province). ... Ma Chao (176 - 222) was the eldest son of Ma Teng and a military general during the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms era of China. ...

During the Chinese New Year, lion dancers from martial art school will visit the store front of businesses to "choi chang" (採青 lit. picking the greens). The business would tie a red envelope filled with money to a head of lettuce and hang it high above the front door. The lion will approach the lettuce like a curious cat, consume the lettuce and spit out the leaves but not the money. The lion dance is supposed to bring good luck and fortune to the business and the dancers receive the money as reward. The tradition becomes a mutual transaction. For other traditions of celebrating lunar new year, see Lunar New Year. ... Some examples of contemporary hong bao designs. ...

Other types of "greens" (青) may also be used to challenge the troupe, for instance using pineapples, pomelos, bananas, oranges, sugar cane shoots, earthen pots to create pseudo barriers and challenges.

The dance also performed at other important occasions including Chinese festivals, business opening ceremonies and traditional weddings.

Red Chinese lion dance performing a "choi chang" in the Vancouver suburb Richmond, British Columbia, Canada.

Second Red Chinese lion dance performing a "choi chang" in the Vancouver suburb Richmond, British Columbia, Canada.

In the old days, the lettuce was hung 15 to 20 feet above ground and only a well-trained martial artists could reach the money while dancing with a heavy lion head. These events became a public challenge. A large sum of money was rewarded, and the audience expected a good show. Sometimes, if lions from multiple martial arts schools approached the lettuce at the same time, the lions are supposed to fight to decide a winner. The lions had to fight with stylistic lion moves instead of chaotic street fighting styles. The audience would judge the quality of the martial art schools according to how the lions fought. Since the schools' reputation were at stake, the fights were usually fierce but civilized. The winner lion would then use creative methods and martial art skills to reach the high-hanging reward. Some lions may dance on bamboo stilts and some may step on human pyramids formed by fellow students of the school. The performers and the schools would gain praise and respect on top of the large monetary reward when they did well. Nowadays, performances to attain the red envelope are not as rigorous but lion dance troupes still have the onus of making a good show or face the consequence of an unhappy client. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (480x640, 112 KB) Summary Chinese New Years celebrations in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada (a suburb of Vancouver). ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (480x640, 112 KB) Summary Chinese New Years celebrations in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada (a suburb of Vancouver). ... For other uses, see Vancouver (disambiguation). ... Richmond is an incorporated city on the Pacific coast of the Canadian province of British Columbia. ... Image File history File links ChinNewYr-dragon2. ... Image File history File links ChinNewYr-dragon2. ... For other uses, see Vancouver (disambiguation). ... Richmond is an incorporated city on the Pacific coast of the Canadian province of British Columbia. ...

A Columbia University Lion Dance Troupe performance at MTV Chi Times Square Studio using a silver Chinese lion New York, New York, United States.

During the 1950s-60's, people who joined lion dance troupes were “gangster-like” and there was a lot of fighting amongst lion dance troupes and kung fu schools. Parents were afraid to let their children join lion dance troupes because of the “gangster” association with the members. During festivals and performances, when lion dance troupes met, there would be fights between groups. Some lifts and acrobatic tricks are designed for the lion to “fight” and knock over other rival lions. Performers even hid daggers in their shoes and clothes, which could be used to injure other lion dancers’ legs, or even attached a metal horn on their lion’s forehead, which could be used to slash other lion heads. The violence got so extreme that at one point, the Hong Kong government had to put a stop to lion dance completely. Now, as with many other countries, lion dance troupes must attain a permit from the government in order to perform lion dance. Although there is still a certain degree of competitiveness, troupes are a lot less violent and aggressive. Today, lion dance is a more sport-oriented activity. Lion dance is more for recreation than a way of living. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1280x960, 415 KB) Summary This picture was from the kick-off party at the MTV Chi studios in Times Square, NYC. The picture was taken by Columbia University LionDance Troupe in 2005 Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby release... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1280x960, 415 KB) Summary This picture was from the kick-off party at the MTV Chi studios in Times Square, NYC. The picture was taken by Columbia University LionDance Troupe in 2005 Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby release... Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the most populous city in the state of New York and the entire United States. ...

Lion Dance in Modern Popular Culture

Once Upon a Time in China

Several movies in the Once Upon a Time in China series involve plots centered around Lion Dancing, especially Once Upon a Time in China III and IV. Once Upon a Time in China Region 4 DVD cover Once Upon a Time in China (武狀元黃飛鴻) is Hong Kong auteur Tsui Hark (徐克)s series of six movies about the famous kung fu master and Chinese hero Wong Fei Hung or (Huang Fei Hong) (黃飛鴻) (played by Jet Li (李連杰) in parts 1... Once Upon a Time in China III is a 1993 Hong Kong action film written and directed by Tsui Hark and starring Jet Li as legendary Chinese folk hero, Wong Fei Hung. ... Once Upon a Time in China IV is a 1994 Hong Kong action film directed by Yuen Bun. ...

Jet Li has performed as a lion dancer in several of his films, including Southern style lion dancing in Once Upon a Time in China III, Once Upon a Time in China and America and Northern style lion dancing in Shaolin Temple 2, and Shaolin Temple 3. Jet Li (Simplified Chinese: 李连杰; Traditional Chinese: 李連杰; pinyin: Lǐ Liánjié; born April 26, 1963) is a Chinese martial artist (Kung Fu), actor, Wushu champion, and international film star. ... Once Upon a Time in China III is a 1993 Hong Kong action film written and directed by Tsui Hark and starring Jet Li as legendary Chinese folk hero, Wong Fei Hung. ... Once Upon a Time in China is a series of six movie about Chinese folklore hero Wong Fei Hung (played by Jet Li in parts 1, 2, 3, 6 and by Vincent Zhao in parts 4 and 5) The film deals with the story of a young kung fu master...

Dancing Lion

A big budget Hong Kong action film featuring Southern style Lion Dancing was released in Hong Kong on April 26, 2007. Plans for world-wide international release have not been announced. Producers have remarked the film was influenced by the type of Lion Dancing scenes seen in Wong Fei Hong movies by both Kwan Tuk Hing, Jet Li and Zhao Wenzhuo. is the 116th day of the year (117th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ...

Trivia

The lion dance costumes used in these celebrations are often made in specialty craft shops in rural China and imported at considerable expense using funds raised through subscriptions and pledges by members of local cultural and business societies.

See also

• Dragon dance
• Chinese New Year
• Culture of China
• Chinese dragon
• Chinese phoenix
• Imperial guardian lions
• Asiatic lions found in nearby India are the ones depicted in the Chinese culture.
• LION DANCE AND DRAGON DANCE EQUIPMENTS

Head of dragon dance costume Chinese Youth Society of Melbourne (Australia), performing at Chinese New Year - demonstrating a basic corkscrew trick Double dragon dance at Chongqing, China, September 28, 2002, during a weeklong celebration of modern Chinas National Day (October 1st) Dragon dance (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ) is... For other traditions of celebrating lunar new year, see Lunar New Year. ... For contemporary culture after 1949, see Culture of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Japanese name Hiragana: KyÅ«jitai: Shinjitai: Korean name Hangul: Hanja: Thai name Thai: Vietnamese name Quốc ngữ: Hán tá»±: The Chinese dragon is a Chinese mythical creature, depicted as a long, scaled, snake-like creature with four claws. ... Chinese Phoenix sculpture, Nanning city, Guangxi province. ... A Qing pair within the Forbidden City. ... Trinomial name Panthera leo persica Meyer, 1826 Current distribution of the Asiatic Lion in the wild Synonyms Leo leo goojratensis (India) Leo leo persicus (Persia) The Asiatic Lion (Panthera leo persica; also known as Indian Lion) is a subspecies of the lion found only in India. ...

External links

• Information about Green Lions

• Additional informations about lion dance

Notes

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Lion dance