Dijun's palace statues

[china_shop]

Does anyone know if these are traditional Chinese statues or variations thereof, and if so, what they're called? I'm writing a Zhao Yunlan POV fic, and I don't want to describe the statues with outsiders' eyes if they're something he should recognise.


Image: The Dijun's palace throne room. Two towering black statues of figures standing on crouching animals.

I was wondering if the animals were guardian lions? Is it common for there to be statues of people standing on animals (I couldn't find any examples via Google)? Even if Zhao Yunlan didn't known the creatures/figures, would he find the style familiar?

Much thanks in advance!

Comments

[salamandras]

I've been wondering about the statues, too. I can't answer your question, but they do look similar to the lions you linked to. If it's not traditional, I wonder if it was a thoughtful choice- is it significant that the lions are crouching and it looks like they are supporting the people's weight?

[china_shop]

I was suspecting that the figures were either subjugating or debasing the animals by standing on them, so I wondered if it was a subtle dig at Haixing (because Guardian Lions!), but going by thevetia's comment below, the animals represent evil that the figures have conquered. :-)

[salamandras]

Ah, very cool!

[thevetia]

They seem based on statues of the Four Heavenly Kings; Buddhist deities who protect from evil and are usually placed in temples. The animals they are standing on represent evil that they have conquered.

[china_shop]

Oh, that's super helpful -- thanks so much! I'm guessing Zhao Yunlan would recognise them as such?

[trobadora]

Thank you so much, it's really good to have some context!

[starandrea]

I have no insight into this but I wanted to say, thank you for the link to guardian lions! I was in Chinatown for lunar new year and I took pictures of guardian lions at the gate, but I had no idea what they were, and I'm particularly intrigued by the yin/yang representation, as I've been writing a lot around that lately. ♥

[china_shop]

Oh cool! Thanks for the pic. *admires their proud-chested lion-y selves*

[iberiandoctor]

...being that this is a palace in the underworld in an indeterminate present-day time period, and also these guys look like they're wearing armoured loincloths, I would have ordinarily gone with being generic underworld demons/deities?

But on closer inspection, I think thevetia might be right - they're based on the Four Heavenly Kings, or Sì Dà Tiānwáng (probably Vaishravana, Protector of the North (L), and Virūḍhaka, King of the South (R)). Agree the giveaway is the fact that they're standing on animals representing vanquished evil, like you see here.

There are usually four of them, though, and I'm definitely more used to seeing them depicted with more clothes on, but possibly this is an underworld that's gone in an earthier, less garbed direction (see, eg, this 1600s depiction of Vaishravana).

A supernatural investigator (who is also immortal, did I osmose this part right?) would definitely recognise two of the four heavenly kings as a standard component of Chinese Buddhist temples, even ones in the underworld :)

[china_shop]

and also these guys look like they're wearing armoured loincloths

Hee! It does look that way. They're definitely bare-chested.

A supernatural investigator (who is also immortal, did I osmose this part right?)

Immortal in the novel, I believe, but not in the drama. But I'm guessing he should recognise them anything. Thanks so much, especially for the links!! <3 <3 <3

[trobadora]

Thank you so much for these links!

Drama-verse Zhao Yunlan is an ordinary human investigator - it's aliens in the drama, not supernatural stuff. And Dixing (the underground realm that was acually Hell in the novel but isn't in the drama) has a bit of an archaic aesthetic going on in places, which migiht explain the bare-chested statues?

[wrote_and_writ]

They look like the statues in the Chiwan Tianhou Temple in Shenzhen. I can't link to my own photos (I'm on my work computer), so the link is to an article, and if you scroll down, you'll see the pictures of the two that look similar.

[china_shop]

Ahhhh! *gets distracted by the second two, who seem to have adorable creatures tucked in their belts!!!* But yes, I can see the resemblance with the first two there -- and then the things arching out like horns could be the kind of rope cloth things.

(As shown here: )

That's really helpful. Thanks!

[wrote_and_writ]

You're welcome! I don't have a lot of experience with temples -- that's the only one I visited -- but those big figures do stand out in my memory!