Lions from Sogdiana to Chang’an(550-755)

1.A Lion tribute:the Rise and Fall of the Imperial China The lion as sacred,solar or regal symbol permeated many ancient cultures,in India,Persia and among the Sogdians.Paul Pelliot^1 noted that the Chinese word for lion,shi狮,or suoni睃猊,was derived from the Sogdian word sarye.In ancient China die lion remains a favourite tribute,as the symbol of the prosperity of the empire.Indeed。