People visiting Kinmen during the Lunar New Year holiday should visit the Wind Lion Gods, the guardians that embody the memories and history of the outlying county and serve as a symbolic part of its cultural landscape, the Kinmen County Tourism Department said.
The Wind Lion Gods — or “Wind Lion Masters” (風獅爺) in Mandarin — are stone sculptures brought to Kinmen from Quanzhou and Zhangzhou in China to protect the group of islands from evil spirits, bad luck and natural disasters, including monsoon winds that are particularly fierce during the winter months, information on the department’s Web site says.
There are about 100 stone lions around Kinmen, which is only 10km east of the Chinese city of Xiamen, with some painted in bright colors and others sporting fierce expressions. The “females” are often decorated with pom-poms or ribbons.
Photo: CNA
Over time, the lion sculptures have become deeply entwined with local legends, said Chang Che-jui (張哲叡), a representative of the local travel company Whoyo Travel.
The lions are believed to possess special abilities, such as discovering lost items, catching thieves and protecting the islands from intruders, Chang said.
The Anqi Wind Lion God, the tallest among the lot at 3.78m, is painted in green, red, blue and yellow, and stands guard over the sea frontier.
Legend says it once fended off invading pirates, the department said.
Local residents often make cloaks for and bring offerings to the wind lions to “thank” them for their good deeds, it said.
However, the lions’ powers were not always so revered, Chang said.
A lion statue in the Guningtou (古寧頭) region shows visible cracks on its ears and teeth, even after being restored to repair damage caused by nearby residents.
It is believed that the lion’s open mouth, facing the Lincuo neighborhood, emitted negative energy and disrupted the area’s feng shui (風水).
Chang recommended that visitors check out a chubby yellow wind lion in Jinning Township’s (金寧) Husia Village (湖下) that he found particularly cute.
In Lieyu (烈嶼), which lies west of Kinmen’s main island, the “Wind Chickens” are similarly revered, he said.
The stone chickens perched atop residents’ roofs and at village entrances have the power to control the wind and protect locals from evil spirits, the department said.
Kinmen is also known for its military legacy as a front-line against the Chinese Communist Party, given its proximity to China, it said.
As well as tanks and forts on display, history can be seen in residential villages, from tunnels people took shelter in to holes in the walls of houses, the department added.
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