Chinese guardian lions standardized and formalized during the Ming and Qing dynasties into more or less its present form. (pinyin:) sì shì sì, shí shì shí, shí sì shì shí sì, sì shí shì sì shí, sì shí sì zhī shí shī zì shì sǐ de. (4 is 4, 10 is 10, 14 is 14, 40 is 40, 44 stone lions are dead.) 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
Ching Ling Foo 1922. Irving Berlin included him in his lyrics for “From Here to Shanghai” (1917) The Christopher Nolan movie, "The Prestige," depicts a Chinese magician working in London, who performs a similar trick with a water bowl. Ching Ling Foo Ching Ling Foo () was the stage name of the Chinese magician Zhu Liankui (,1854–1922). He is credited with being the first modern East Asian magician to achieve world fame. Born in Beijing, Ching Ling Foo studied traditional Chinese magic and was a well-respected performer in his homeland. During a typical performance, he stunned the audience by breathing smoke and fire