In mainland China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan and Okinawa, it can be seen how the original forms developed differently according to environment.

Two types of Chinese talisman, the stone lion and the shih-kan-tang tablet, followed the spread of Chinese culture to other countries. There they took root at different times and merged with elements of local custom, resulting in the variety of semblances and functions that we see them fulfilling today.

Down through Chinese history the style of stone lions has changed with the age. In the Han dynasty (206 BC-220 AD), when the influence of Buddhism began to tell in China, the lion was represented as a winged beast. Later, during the Tang dynasty (618-907 AD) when there was frequent contact with western Asia, where real lions lived, their image became correspondingly realistic. Japan at the time was undergoing great change and drawing heavily on Chinese culture, and the lions on guard outside Shinto temples are to this day called "Tang lions." They are also called "stone dogs," just like in Korea. This is not meant to indicate that the creators of the figurative creature "tried to draw a lion and ended up with a dog" (as the proverb goes in Chinese), but simply shows that lions were not native to these countries, and so the unfamiliar animal had to be based on a familiar one.

In the Yuan dynasty (1260-1368 AD), a lion design emerged with a mane of tight curls like a little poodle. Hardly the embodiment of ferocity, it was on the contrary an auspicious and cuddly looking creature. Stone lions in Okinawa carry the same curly markings on their coat, for the island became a Chinese protectorate under the Ming (1368-1644 AD), and thus absorbed a later pattern of lion. It is interesting to note however that there are also more realistic Japanese-style "stone dogs" outside Okinawa's Shinto temples, because the former kingdom submitted tribute to both the Chinese and Japanese courts, and drew influence from both.

The characteristics of Chinese talismans evolved with time and varied according to location, because of the different opponents they were expected to deal with and the differing demands that were made of them. Lions began as icons of savagery but turned into sacred beasts, and in southern coastal regions further evolved into the Wind-lion, a figure created to fend off typhoons. Lions thus made the short trip from the doorway up onto the roof, and a host of pottery lions came into production to share some of the honor with those made of stone. At Anping, where Chinese arrivals established their first bridgehead on Taiwan, figures of warriors on lion-back are everywhere to be found, while on Quemoy island, battered daily by huge winds, there are Wind-lion figurines standing with teeth and claws bared against the elements. Wind was traditionally said to be blown by tigers, so the lion--considered superior--was employed to combat the "wind demon."

In Okinawa too, rooftop lions stood defense against typhoons, but their original use was to prevent fire. Written history of the area records a village that suffered repeated outbreaks of fire. A geomancer was consulted who revealed that the village was facing a "fire mountain," and that the villagers should erect a lion image as protection. The fires stopped, and local households began adding lion figures to their rooftops, starting a custom that is now one of Okinawa's distinctive features.

The development of shih-kan-tang tablets, which originally were solely for deflecting malefic forces at the entrance to a road, also reveals an evolution of talismanic function. They were first used during the Five Dynasties period then became widespread under the Sung, and are common even today in Okinawa and the Pescadores, where there are over 200 of the tablets. There, their properties extend to defying strong winds as well as evil forces. By harbors, where the wind is strongest, a great variety of tablets is to be found, with auspicious symbols such as the eight trigrams and seven stars added for maximum supernatural impact. Likewise, the large shih-kan-tang by the Hsilo Bridge in Taiwan stands as insurance against floods, though without weakening its strength against advancing demons.

In the Taiwan region, Quemoy is the best place for Wind-lion figures, and the Pescadores for shih-kan-tang tablets--two places that are virtually shut off from the world by sea. In Japan too, it is outlying islands where these features of traditional culture are best maintained. Rooftop lions are not found anywhere on Japan's four main islands, but shih-kan-tang tablets can be seen at many sites, especially to the southwest where the archipelago nears China. There are 500 in Kagoshima alone, probably carved from rock that served as ballast in early trading vessels. Those tablets now extant in Japan are mostly kept in temples and monasteries as historical artifacts, and very few are actually made nowadays.

Okinawa, though a popular tourist playground, is also an elysium for stone lions and shih-kan-tang tablets, and a bountiful hunting ground for the folk historians who specialize in them. Almost every residence has a shih- kan-tang, and rooftop lions in new shapes and styles abound. Stone and ceramic lions have meanwhile become a favorite souvenir purchase for visitors and a money-spinner for the island.

Back in mainland China however, where the tablets and the lions originated, the ravages of war and the Cultural Revolution have left many destroyed or damaged, like other vestiges of traditional culture. Folk historian Chuang Po-ho reported that in Chuanchow in Fukien Province, Wind-lion figures and shih-kan-tang tablets disappeared almost completely. Fortunately in the last two years, some shih- kan-tang have returned to their wayside locations.

So deep are the roots of traditional culture, that even after a terrible winter it sprouts again when spring comes.

[Picture Caption]

A harborside shih-kan-tang in the shape of a "wooden fish," in the Pescadores, repelling strong winds and evil forces. (Photo by Arthur Cheng)

There are many shih-kan-tang tablets in southwest coastal areas of Japan, mostly in Shinto temples. (Photo courtesy of Chen Che-hsiung)

The Japanese "stone dog" before a Shinto temple really does resemble a dog more than a lion.

Wind-lion figures on Quemoy stand and confront the wind demon. (Photo courtesy of Chuang Po-ho)

A stone lion at the roadside in Chuanchow, Fukien Province, doing the job of a shih-kan-tang. It may look worn, but its powers are undimmed. (Photo courtesy of Chuang Po-ho)

The curly-maned style of lion first appeared in China during the Yuan dynasty. okinawa's lion culture seems to date from that time on. (Photo by Huang Lili)

A lion that might easily be mistaken for a Pekinese dog. Many stone lion s in China and in Okinawa look similarly harmless. (Photo by Huang Lili)

There are many shih-kan-tang tablets in southwest coastal areas of Japan, mostly in Shinto temples. （Photo courtesy of Chen Che-hsiung）

The Japanese "stone dog" before a Shinto temple really does resemble a dog more than a lion.

Wind-lion figures on Quemoy stand and confront the wind demon. （Photo courtesy of Chuang Po-ho）

A stone lion at the roadside in Chuanchow, Fukien Province, doing the job of a shih-kan-tang. It may look worn, but its powers are undimmed. （Photo courtesy of Chuang Po-ho）

The curly-maned style of lion first appeared in China during the Yuan dynasty. okinawa's lion culture seems to date from that time on. （Photo by Huang Lili）

A lion that might easily be mistaken for a Pekinese dog. Many stone lion s in China and in Okinawa look similarly harmless. （Photo by Huang Lili）