Can you imagine two thousand lions on Taiwan's northeast coast? That's where the "Lion's Kingdom" museum, which opened in April of this year, displays its collection of all kinds of artifacts in the shape of lions, lions and more lions!

At dawn, as the first sliver of the sun's disc rises out of the sea, its rays strike the specially designed large windows of "Lion's Kingdom." Inside, several thousand stone lions have passed the night in lonely silence, but suddenly their round, staring eyes sparkle and come alive. As the exhibition room turns from darkness to light, the contours of their bodies, cold and hard in the blackness, become clear-cut and vital. One after another, the lions seem to awaken. . . .

North and South

On a platform marked "northern lions" stands a stocky, powerful lion with well-defined bones and muscles and the heavy brows and large eyes of a true-grit son of North China. His angry gaze is reminiscent of the many stone lions which crouch along both sides of Marco Polo Bridge, where they witnessed the blood and tears of China's eight-year war with Japan.

The term "northern lion" refers to the style of stone lions from the regions along the middle to lower reaches of the Yellow River. As well these lions' imposing stature, the fur of their manes is curled into balls arranged in neat rows. They typically have big, square heads and large faces, as described in the phrase "ten pounds of lion, nine pounds of head."

Unlike the heavy northern lions, the "southern lions" which dominate another corner sport relaxed grins. The typical southern lion has a twisting head and wagging tail, flowing lines, and a happy smile which seems to say that over the thousands of years of Chinese history it has seen much joy and many rich harvests. The mirth on a stone lion's face is symbolic of many of the wishes Chinese people hold for this earthly life.

On a placard reading "South Fujian lions," there are also some words to be spoken in the South Fujianese (Taiwanese) dialect: "Stone lion, stone lion, earn some money for me to spend." In Chinese physiognomy, a large, broad nose-known as a "lion nose"-is thought to attract wealth, so of course a big-nosed lion can bring prosperity and good fortune.

The lions from Hui'an in Fujian Province, with their round heads, short, muscular bodies and smooth, long fur and tails have a familiar look to them: traditional Taiwanese stone lions show the influence of the same sculpting style. But a pair of lions from Chaozhou in Guangdong Province, just across the border from Fujian, have quite different faces and a style all their own. The dancing lions which climb to snatch prizes in the film Once Upon a Time in China have the same triangular head with a bulging brow and erect, rabbit-like ears. The Chaozhou lions' tails, which loop over onto their backs in many separate strands, are regarded as unique among Chinese lions.

From north to south, Chinese lions come in many different "varieties." Here are a pair of lions from central China, with scale-like armor draped over its body and "knee protectors" on its legs; there, a pair from the Jiangsu-Zhejiang region, their jaws drawn in like old people who have weathered many storms. . . .

Lions of the Tang and the Song

This is not a zoo, and of course the southern lions, northern lions, south Fujian lions, Chaozhou lions and so on are not real lions. Stone lions-usually in pairs comprising a male lion playing with a ball and a lioness with a cub-are seen in China as having the power to drive away evil and attract prosperity and good fortune, and they have long stood outside the gates of the homes of rich and noble families, in the courtyards of high officials' residences and on either side of the incense burners outside temples. With sculptors of every region doing their best to surpass each other and themselves, different forms were developed with each pair of lions carved, and every period of history produced its own styles. But today, stone lions from throughout China-north, south, east and west-are gathered together in this "Lion's Kingdom."

In April of this year, the Lion's Kingdom museum opened in the Northeast Coast Scenic Area between Keelung and Ilan. Beside Peikuan Cliff, looking out across the sea at Kueishan Island, thousands of stone lions are on display in a five-story building specially designed for this seaside setting.

As well as Chinese stone lions from all over, lions from minority peoples are also here, making up for their small numbers by their distinctive appearance. A pair of lions from Yunnan, as tall as a man, have ears in curly shapes reminiscent of the stylized clouds of Chinese art, and protruding eyes more than three inches long set in deep sockets. The lioness's long tongue lolls down against the mouth of her cub, which is stretched up on tiptoes to meet it. In addition to the many lions carved in pairs, 60-odd shigandang ("stones that dare to block the path [of evil]") and "wind lion lords," used in southern China to ward off strong winds, stand in rows in a corner of the basement. These "devil beaters" come in a great variety of styles, from ferocious to playful.

A few stone "baby-tying" lions, from the loess plateau of central China, are said to have been used to pray for infants to grow up healthy. At Chinese New Year, people of that region would tie red thread between their children's feet and the legs of the stone lion on the end of the kang (the heated masonry platform used both as a bed and a daytime seat in northern Chinese houses). These lions would also be used for more practical purposes, such as holding back mosquito nets, curtains or clothes.

After looking at the imposing stone lions we rest a while in the first floor lounge, then go up to the second floor, where the first things to greet us are the carved wooden column-head lions. These were originally used to embellish buildings and disguise their angles and corners. Lions would often be placed rising up a building's contours, giving an appearance of spirit and vigor. In the same room, several large glass cabinets contain all kinds of lion artifacts in jade, three-color glaze pottery, bronze and other materials. The smaller ones include badges and chops, and the larger ones such things as furniture items and altar decorations.

These lions' many poses run the gamut of coquettishness, and include crouching, sitting, lying prone or supine, rolling on the ground, and suckling young. In terms of age, they include a Tang-dynasty water-dropper (used to drip water onto an inkstone when grinding ink) shaped like a fat domestic cat, which was excavated from a pottery kiln in Changsha in Hunan Province; a glazed pottery lion from the Song dynasty, with a natural stripe effect produced by kneading and twisting together strips of different-colored clay; and, from the Ming dynasty, a charming imitation-Tang-style seated lion in brightly-polished jade, with a bell hung around its neck.

Lion King Kao

After feasting our eyes on this exquisite collection of lion artifacts, we go via the basement into the grassy courtyard, where there is a row of horse hitching posts, each about two meters high and topped with a stone lion. From here a path leads down to the seashore, where a simple teahouse awaits. There a natural feeling of relaxation overtakes us as we sit looking out at that great turtle swimming slowly up out of the sea-Turtle Island (Kueishan Island). Human culture and natural beauty blend together here at Lion's Kingdom.

The museum's Chinese name, Hedong Hall (Hedong being the name of an ancient city), comes from the expression Hedong shi hou, "[the lady of] Hedong roars like a lion." This saying actually refers to a termagant wife, but museum owner John Kao hastens to explain that he did not choose the name because he is henpecked. Kao says his only prior connection with lions was that he is a Leo. But 30 years ago he bought his first pair of stone lions on an impulse, and today he has some 5000 lion artifacts. A quick calculation on the fingers shows that 30 years is something over 10,000 days, so on average Kao has added a piece to his collection every two days. Thinking about this, he himself finds it hard to believe.

Kao, who is a land development consultant, left home to seek his fortune when he was still in his teens. He acquired that first pair of stone lions when he was 20, and from then on became an obsessive, pertinacious collector. His business career has had its ups and downs, but even at the most difficult times he would not countenance friends' suggestions that he should sell his lions to tide him over. Even more remarkably, when he himself had to move into ever-smaller apartments, he never skimped on the warehouses which were home to his lions.

"I suppose I can only say that my goal was clear," says Kao. A Leo himself, he didn't want to spend his time moaning about life being too short. Having found a goal, he went all-out to pursue it. He says that by nature he likes to get involved, and he believes someone with power can use his or her influence to good effect. He hopes to be a destroyer of bad systems. "Lions never do anything by halves, and they take it upon themselves to protect everyone under heaven; they don't bully the weak," he says, adding that this is very much like his own character. As far as collecting is concerned, when he had the idea that "when I was 50 I wanted the lions to have a safe home," this further strengthened his determination not to rest until he succeeded.

An eye for the mane chance

Leaving Taipei and following the scenic coastal highway, after an hour and a half one reaches the lion museum, which has become an important stop on the coastal tourist trail. Another example of Kao's dedication to his lions is the way he has chosen one of the most beautiful spots in Taiwan for them to reside. He says people rush off to Mt. Ali to watch the sunrise, but in fact by the time the sun can be seen from there it has had to climb up over Mt. Jade, Taiwan's tallest peak. It is only here on the coast at the northeastern corner of Taiwan that the stone lions can really be "awoken" each morning by the first rays of the sun breaking over the ocean. He wishes to display these exquisite products of human culture to the best effect by placing them in the bosom of nature.

In fact, Kao's original intention in building this place for his lions was simply to give them a permanent home. But friends accused him of wanting to selfishly keep his "treasures" to himself, so he felt obliged to open the house as a museum and share them with the public. However, this means he has to find an extra NT$2 million every month to pay 20-odd employees to look after this crowd of lions. Over the last four months, the number of visitors to the museum has grown as people have spread the word about it. But located so far outside Taipei, the guests it receives each day are still outnumbered by the lions inside, and to pay these lions' "keep," Kao has shelled out huge amounts of money over the years. Today, his friends tease him by calling him "Lion King Kao" (Shi Wang Gao), a pun on "Lion King" brand toothpaste (Shi Wang yagao).

Stone lions are so large that collecting a hundred would be quite an achievement for most people. John Kao says that apart from antique dealers bringing him specimens, he also actively goes out looking for them himself. He is not afraid to say that he often "buys out other 'lion kings.'" He avers that most people who like to collect big stone lions are the owners of large companies. Kao makes inquiries everywhere, and when he hears that someone has stone lions, he writes to invite them for a visit. But when they come, they often have a "change of heart." "Lion people are very self-confident," says Kao, and when the rival sees how much less impressive his own collection is by comparison, it irks him no end. When these ambitious magnates discover they can't be the best, they are so galled they decide to sell their own collections and have done with it. In this way more and more stone lions have rallied to the Lion's Kingdom banner.

Lion or lapdog?

Seeing so many lions gathered together at Lion's Kingdom, one cannot help wondering, as John Kao did years ago, why China should have produced so many artifacts in lions' image when it has no real lions of its own.

Actually, the proliferation of lion artifacts in China is the product of a mindset which values the exotic over the familiar.

The lion, king of the beasts, occurs in Africa, the Middle East and northwest India. As the power of the Han dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) extended far into the West, lions began to reach the emperor's palaces as tribute. When people confined them together with tigers and leopards, they were astonished to discover that here was a creature which could subdue the most feared of China's wild animals-that ferocious man eater, the tiger. Word gradually spread that the lion could "kill tigers, eat leopards, rip the skin of rhinoceroses and tear elephants to pieces." Furthermore, since people had so little opportunity to catch a glimpse of one of these remarkable beasts, they could give free rein to their imaginations. For the Chinese, lions gradually became half-real, half-fabulous sacred beasts and were everywhere pressed into service to face down evil spirits and repel baleful influences.

Thus stone lions came to rank first among the amulets the ancient Chinese used to ward off evil. At first they came in the form of gigantic tomb guardians protecting the graves of kings and emperors. In the Tang dynasty China had frequent contacts with western Asia, and stone lions tended to be realistic in form; in the Yuan, "foreign" elements were added, and curly-maned lions appeared which looked more like curly-haired dogs; their image changed from the fierce and majestic to the lucky and lovable. Moreover, people based their imagination of what a ferocious lion might look like on the animals closest and most familiar to them. This gave rise to the saying that in their movements and appearance in the lion dance, "northern lions are like dogs, southern lions are like cats." As for stone lions, sculptors in every region followed their own fancy, often taking dogs as their models. Dogs come in countless different breeds, so lions also come in many varieties. The late historian Lin Heng-tao once said that the stone lions outside Taiwan's mansions and temples are the spitting image of Pekingese dogs.

"Four modernizations"

Scholars today generally agree that the forms seen in lion artifacts in China are the products of culture and society, not attempts at realistic representation. Thus in China lions might well find themselves hung with bells or festooned with ribbons. In the words of Leo Chan, chief of the exhibition department at Lion's Kingdom, they have undergone "four modernizations" at the hands of the Chinese: they have been "deified and anthropomorphized, turned into cartoon figures and pets." Chuang Shen, a research fellow at Academia Sinica's Institute of History and Philology, writes in an article entitled "Chinese Lion Sculptures" that in the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period (220-280), stone lions generally appeared singly; it was not until the Northern and Southern Dynasties period (420-589) that sculptors began to take notice of the animals' family affections.

Lions appeared in all shapes and sizes, and without "pressure" for realism from the genuine article, sculptors had no need to stick to convention. Looking at the lions in detail, we find that some have been given only vampire-like canine teeth, while others have neatly chiseled rows of incisors as regular as the kernels on a corn cob; the ball played with by the male lion may be held in its mouth, trapped under its feet or balanced on its belly, as the fancy takes the artist.

As for the lion cub which accompanies the lioness, in one case the sculptor has simply carved out a hole in the mother's own body, with several bullet-sized balls arranged to make a little face. Some lions have big noses and protruding eyes, tilted heads and long, floppy ears; some surprising specimens have human heads on lions' bodies; one, with nostrils as big as those of Pigsy from Journey to the West, rolls comically on its back with its legs in the air. Each has its own interest and appeal. As for that lovestruck pair looking deep into each other's eyes, sparks seem to fly between them; but here too are a still flirtatious old Darby and Joan, with expressions full of mutual devotion.

All these stone lions have a romantic charm and their own individual spirit. They seem to manifest all the vitality of folk art, and unreservedly express ordinary people's desire for peace, harmony, happiness and prosperity.

A million stone carvings?

Lion's Kingdom has a large and diverse collection, but at present it might be going too far to call it a museum, for it lacks the research activity and coherent acquisitions policy which a museum ought to have, and because it is located in the Northeast Coast National Scenic Area it is not even able to register as a private museum with the Ministry of Education. Although there is an impressive number of lions on display, the museum is unable to ascribe an accurate date and place of origin to each pair. For the time being, it is only able to group them into rough categories. For instance, Southern Fujianese lions from Hui'an and from Tong'an near Quanzhou are placed together, and the shigandang, which have their origins in belief in stone spirits, are placed alongside the wind lion lords which protect their owners from ravaging "evil" winds on small southern islands.

In the view of scholars of folk culture, the lion museum, with its rich collection of artifacts but its thus far somewhat inadequate "software" such as explanatory materials, guides and research activities, apart from reflecting the purchasing power of private collectors, is also indicative of the unending stream of mainland Chinese antiques flowing into Taiwan. One scholar who has seen most of the private collections in Taiwan estimates that at least a million large sculpted stone artifacts must have come into Taiwan from the mainland over the last decade.

Stone lions are usually accessories to architectural structures, and as they are a part of the buildings it would be best if they could be preserved in their places of origin. Folk culture scholar Chuang Po-ho, who has visited Lion's Kingdom, says with slight regret that lions brought to Taiwan from the mainland are actually quite out of place in their new surroundings. "But," he adds, "once the lions are here, it's our duty to look after them properly!" In Chuang's view, Lion's Kingdom is at least "preserving them well, and allowing others to share in the enjoyment of them."

This is especially significant in view of the wholesale destruction of traditional buildings in mainland China over recent years. In Taiwan too, tall office buildings and concrete apartment blocks have become the main architectural "vocabulary," leaving no space for stone lions, and the stone lions at temples are often smeared in gaudy colors, making them unbearably vulgar. Although stone lions have recently begun to appear outside some of the latest large buildings alongside Western-style statuary, and some big companies place pairs of stone lions outside their office buildings to add to their grandeur, traditional stone lions still need someone to look after them. Furthermore, as there is an almost complete lack of research into stone lions in Taiwan, perhaps the exhibits assembled at Lion's Kingdom can arouse people's interest and encourage scholarship.

"There's still a long way to go," says John Kao. For him, putting his collection on public display is just the first stage in his plan. But the fact that Lion's Kingdom presents itself as a museum reveals his hopes and ambitions. He has appointed the well known painter and retired National Palace Museum artifacts researcher Chu Ke as the museum's curator, precisely in the hope that he will undertake some rigorous academic research. At present the museum is cataloguing all its lions and attempting to compile a set of "identity papers" for each of them, detailing their place of origin, description and age. This should make their background clear so that Lion's Kingdom is not merely a refuge for displaced lions.

Further into the future, the museum envisages such projects as researching the many beasts used in China to ward off evil whose features are hard to distinguish from those of stone lions; they include the gluttonous taotie monster. Should they be categorized as lions too? What contacts were there between the lion carving traditions in different regions, and how did they influence each other? The museum is also building contacts with mainland Chinese scholars researching the artistic aspects of stone lions.

The lions' tale

These lions' identities have not yet been verified, their ages are still uncertain, and it is doubtful whether their seaside home really qualifies as a museum. Nonetheless, the tourists who have visited Lion's Kingdom in the four months it has been open have begun to form opinions about it. One says the owner's dedication in collecting these "toys" which can weigh anything from a hundredweight to a ton is admirable in itself.

Even Vice-Minister of Education Li Chen-hsing recommends his students at NTNU's Department of Adult and Continuing Education to visit Lion's Kingdom. He says he has seen more exhibits of jade artifacts, pottery and paintings than he cares to remember, but has never seen so many stone lions gathered together in one place.

Children, too, can see lions here as playful as the lion cub in the cartoon film The Lion King, and old ladies who like to go to temples feel right at home, although they are apt to tick the guides off if they pat the lions disrespectfully. And those who love to wallow in nostalgia can look at the many pairs of stone lions and remember childhood days of playing at temple gates.

When you drive along Taiwan's northeast coast, after you pass the island's most northeasterly point, Santiago, listen carefully: the lions are roaring, waiting to tell their many stories to mankind!

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Lion's Kingdom looks out across the sea at Kueishan Island. Owner John Kao (opposite) hopes his treasured stone lions can be seen to best effect amid the scenic beauty of Taiwan's northeast coast.

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Works in stone form the lion's share of the museum's collection. At top, a pair of lions from Yunnan Province. The lioness, on the right, licks the mouth of her cub with her long tongue. This is rarely seen on Han Chinese lion sculptures. At center left, a pair of northern lions with their outsized heads-"ten pounds of lion, nine pounds of head." At center right, some more curvaceous southern lions. At bottom, a miniature jade lion, on its back with its legs in the air. But look again: it is also a Buddha's hand! (courtesy of Lion's Kingdom)

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There is little realism in Chinese lion statuary. Apart from anthropomorphic facial expressions, often in the form of a broad, all-too-human grin, stone lions' poses and movements are often modeled on those of familiar domestic dogs and cats.

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Would a real lion be any match for a fantasy lion? Chinese stone lions have many functions to perform. Wind lion lords fend off powerful winds, while shigandang frighten off demons-both protect against evil influences. (opposite) As for the lions on top of the hitching posts used to tie up horses in olden times, were they there to tie the reins to, to subdue the horse, or to scare away horse thieves?

The lioness, on the right, licks the mouth of her cub with her long tongue.

At center right, some more curvaceous southern lions.

At bottom, a miniature jade lion, on its back with its legs in the air. But look again: it is also a Buddha's hand! （courtesy of Lion's Kingdom）

Works in stone form the lion's share of the museum's collection.

There is little realism in Chinese lion statuary. Apart from anthropomorphic facial expressions, often in the form of a broad, all too-human grin, stone lions' poses and movements are often modeled on those of familiar domestic dogs and cats.

There is little realism in Chinese lion statuary. Apart from anthropomorphic facial expressions, often in the form of a broad, all too-human grin, stone lions' poses and movements are often modeled on those of familiar domestic dogs and cats.

There is little realism in Chinese lion statuary. Apart from anthropomorphic facial expressions, often in the form of a broad, all too-human grin, stone lions' poses and movements are often modeled on those of familiar domestic dogs and cats.

There is little realism in Chinese lion statuary. Apart from anthropomorphic facial expressions, often in the form of a broad, all too-human grin, stone lions' poses and movements are often modeled on those of familiar domestic dogs and cats.

Would a real lion be any match for a fantasy lion? Chinese stone lions h ave many functions to perform. Wind lion lords fend off powerful winds, while shigandang frighten off demons--both protect against evil influences. （opposite） As for the lions on top of the hitching posts used to tie up horses in olden times, were they there to tie the reins to, to su bdue the horse, or to scare away horse thieves?

Would a real lion be any match for a fantasy lion? Chinese stone lions h ave many functions to perform. Wind lion lords fend off powerful winds, while shigandang frighten off demons--both protect against evil influences. （opposite） As for the lions on top of the hitching posts used to tie up horses in olden times, were they there to tie the reins to, to su bdue the horse, or to scare away horse thieves?

Would a real lion be any match for a fantasy lion? Chinese stone lions h ave many functions to perform. Wind lion lords fend off powerful winds, while shigandang frighten off demons--both protect against evil influences. （opposite） As for the lions on top of the hitching posts used to tie up horses in olden times, were they there to tie the reins to, to su bdue the horse, or to scare away horse thieves?

Would a real lion be any match for a fantasy lion? Chinese stone lions h ave many functions to perform. Wind lion lords fend off powerful winds, while shigandang frighten off demons--both protect against evil influences. （opposite） As for the lions on top of the hitching posts used to tie up horses in olden times, were they there to tie the reins to, to su bdue the horse, or to scare away horse thieves?

Would a real lion be any match for a fantasy lion? Chinese stone lions h ave many functions to perform. Wind lion lords fend off powerful winds, while shigandang frighten off demons--both protect against evil influences. （opposite） As for the lions on top of the hitching posts used to tie up horses in olden times, were they there to tie the reins to, to su bdue the horse, or to scare away horse thieves?

Wind lion lords fend off powerful winds, while shigandang frighten off demons--both protect against evil influences. （opposite） As for the lions on top of the hitching posts used to tie up horses in olden times, were they there to tie the reins to, to su bdue the horse, or to scare away horse thieves?