FU DOGS TO GUARD THE SHOP

When I was at a Chinese Medical Shop to get some herbs, I saw two Foo dogs standing guard on the counter.  Hmm ... I thought to myself that the owner must be a believer in Feng Shui to have these symbolic Imperial Guardian Lions protect his business premise.

If you look at the Foo dogs in the picture, they face out in the direction as the entrance. These Foo Dogs are referred to as Shishi (石獅 meaning "stone lion") by the Chinese.  It is in the west that they are commonly known as Foo Dogs. The Stone Lions come in pairs to represent the yin and yang of life, the feminine and masculine. The male sits to the right with his paw on a sphere to represent the earth and serves to protect the house/premise and structure. The female sits to the left with her paw on a cub to represent the cycle of life and serves to protect the occupants and promote abundance.  In the picture, the Stone Lions are wrongly placed.  

Traditionally these Stone Lions stood in front of the Chinese Imperial palaces, Imperial tombs, government offices, temples, and the homes of government officials and the wealthy.

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