Chinese lions

traditional Chinese dance

Chinese statue pairs of lion-like creatures

mythological creature

thumb|right|Tomori shisa is a traditional Ryukyuan cultural artifact and decoration derived from Chinese guardian lions, often seen in similar pairs, resembling a cross between a lion and a dog, from Okinawan mythology. Shisa are wards, believed to protect from some evils. People place pairs of shisa on their rooftops or flanking the gates to their houses, with the left shisa traditionally having a closed mouth, the right one an open mouth. The open mouth shisa traditionally wards off evil spirits, and the closed mouth shisa keeps good spirits in.

thumb|260px|A pair of komainu, the "a" on the right, the "um" on the left

mythical creature

thumb|Lion statues surround the Independence Monument in Maha Bandula Park, in front of [[Yangon City Hall]] thumb|Two lions guard the entrance to Shwedagon Pagoda Chinthe ( (); (); ()) is the Burmese word for 'lion'. The leograph of Chinthe is a highly stylized lion commonly depicted in Burmese iconography and architecture, especially as a pair of guardians flanking the entrances of Buddhist pagodas and kyaung (or Buddhist monasteries).