A Study On The Lion Totem In The Guanzhong District Of The Shaanxi Province

It is widely seen the use of lion as a form of artistic representation, speaking of thetraditional Chinese culture. Among those representations, lion, with its symbolic andtotemic significance, is embedded with religious meanings; in some historical context, ithelps people to distinguish the right from wrong. It also serves as a symbol for authorityand status; furthermore, as a kind of traditional Chinese garniture across variousethnicity groups, it signifies peace and happiness.The Guanzhong district in Shaanxi Province has been well-known as the “thekingdom of Sizhai” for its central location within the kingdom ever since the Han andthe Tang Dynasty. It has a competitive advantage for its unique geographic locationand cultural atmosphere; therefore, as a strategically significant military position withthe potential of being the future capital, it has always been fought among variouswarlords. As the trade-center as well as the center of the then Chinese economiccircle,the Guanzhong district has been through thousands of years of feudal society’sritualistic transformation and the influences of both the east and the west cultures. In theprocess of such cultural and historical transformation and development, lion totem,carrying symbolic significance, has been deeply rooted in the soil of the Guanzhongdistrict in Shaanxi Province, subjecting itself to alteration, modification and cultivation.The following study highlighted the importance of Guanzhong district in ShaanxiProvince across different historical periods. Based on the historical relics, tomb stonelithograph, decorative image containing lion totems across different categories and timeperiods, different studies were performed. Following the field studies, systematicsummarization and integration were used in order to conduct the comparative study on the large amount of real data and images. Referring to the relevant documentation andthe surviving historical records in the Guanzhong District, in the process ofaccomplishing the comparative study, detailed discussion and logical reasoning wereconducted in order to study the historical origin of the lion totem in the Guanzhongdistrict. Based on our study, it is revealed that the standards of aesthetics for theevaluation of the lion totem across the different historical periods are up to its artisticvalues, cultural symbols, unique spiritual connotations and formative principles.