THE CHINESE LION 



he received a visit from Soopoon Choomboo, one of the 

 high officials, and remarks, " He was accompanied by the 

 Treasurer ; our conversation was extremely miscellaneous. 

 Egypt, in their language eunani, and the lions, singhi* were 

 favourite topics of conversation with him. Between this 

 country indeed and Tibet there seemed at some time or 

 other to have existed a frequent communication, and Egypt 

 appeared even now to merit respectful mention whenever 

 they named it. From hence perhaps they have derived their 

 veneration for the sovereign of brutes, which they evince by 

 the distinguished place they assign him in their sacred 

 architecture. 



" There is no religious edifice but what is adorned with 

 the head of the lion at every angle, having bells pendant from 

 his lower jaw, and the same figure is equally common at 

 every projection of the palace walls. It is certain that no 

 contiguous country can supply an example of the animal 

 existing in it, in a state of nature, at this day. The lake 

 Maunserore was mentioned to me, as having lions on its 

 banks, but this assertion I considered as fabulous, originating 

 possibly in a desire to attach greater dignity to the source of 

 the Ganges and Bermapooter by adding to it one more 

 object of veneration. 



' Lions are the natives of a warmer region ; the burning 

 sands of Nubia, Ethiopia and Arabia seem to be their proper 

 habitation. But be this as it may, we see the head of the 

 lion held up in Tibet with marks of high distinction and 

 respect, though we can trace no certain clue to discover by 

 what means he obtained the honour." f 



* Laufer says that the Tibetan word for " lion " (seng-ge) was borrowed from the 

 Sanskrit simha. Giles translates suan (suan-i is a lion-like animal occurring in 

 Chinese literature before the lion was known in China) as " a lion from Tibet." 

 Research may show that suan-ni and seng-ge have a common origin. 



f " An account of an Embassy to the Court of the Teshoo Lama in Tibet," by 

 Captain Sam. Turner, 1800. 



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