The image of the lion is widely seen in art both East and West, but in East Asia, where the animal is not indigenous, the conclusion is obvious that its image must have come from West, possibly as long ago as the time of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. The creation of the artistic lion of East Asia from the real lion, that is to say, represents a kind of cultural interchange.
獅子的造形意匠，普遍可見於東西雙方，但是對不出產獅子的東亞地區而言，很明顯地，它傳自西方，可遠溯自埃及、西亞；也就是說，從現實動物獅子的產地傳入不出產獅子的東亞，代表的正是一種文化交流。