The long history of Chinese "lion culture" on Okinawa, with its evolving symbolic forms and practical applications, reflects some developments in the island's society as a whole. In the 13th and 14th centuries, only the local aristocracy owned stone lions, mounting them at the gate or on the roof to denote prestige rather than to confront demons.
中國的獅子文化在琉球流傳既久且不曾間斷，它的流行程度、象徵意義、擺設地點、石獅造型等種種流變，也反映了琉球社會制度、生活景況的變遷。