Two mailboxes bear witness to rising popularity of Anping sword lion culture

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-08-28
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

What is in the old streets of Anping in Tainan that tourists should be interested in besides the historical sites and local delicacies? The special culture of sword lions is definitely something to check into as two color painted mailboxes have borne witness to the rising popularity of Anping’s special sword lion culture.

To decorate residences with the talismans of sword lions is a special culture of Anping, and the tradition dates back to Ming and Qing dynasties when Anping was the base of the navy. According to culture worker Cheng Tao-tsung, in the ancient times, when soldiers came home, they used to hang their sword and lion-emblazoned shield on a rack in front of their houses. The combination of the sword and the shield looked like a lion biting a sword. The presence of the sword and shield meant the male host was home, which could serve as a deterrent to thieves and robbers looking for houses to break in.

Over time, the sword lion became a talisman in the area and local people liked to use different sword lion figures to decorate the inside and outside of their houses as they were believed to have different functions.     [FULL  STORY]