Chinese guardian lions Chinese guardian lions Chinese guardian lions or Imperial guardian lions, often miscalled "Foo Dogs" in the West, are a common representation of the lion in imperial China. Chinese guardian lions are sometimes referred to in English as shishi, from the Chinese shí shī (), which refers specifically to lion sculptures in stone. The concept, which originated and became popular in Chinese Buddhism, subsequently spread to other parts of Asia including, Japan, Korea, Tibet, Thailand, Burma, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Cambodia, Laos and Singapore. Since the introduction of the lion symbolism during the Han dynasty (206 BC – AD 220) from
Malaysian names example, "Denise Foo"), and some use this in preference to a Chinese given name. Most of these are used by Chinese Malaysian Christians, or Chinese who primarily speak English. On official documents, this name is either written in the order "Western given name - surname - Chinese given name" (e.g., Denise Foo Li Leen) or "surname - Chinese given name - Western given name" (e.g., Foo Li Leen Denise), "or Western given name - Chinese given name - surname" (e.g., Denise Li Leen Foo). In general practice, only one of the given names (the Western or Chinese name) is used.