Lions guarded the Forbidden City and its inhabitants, as well as much else throughout the country.  These are just two examples.  The gold statue on the left is a female lion (she has her cub under paw), and on the right is a male lion with the world under his paw.

The family at rest.  Where's Jim?

It was impossible to capture the breadth of the Forbidden City with our camera.  Suffice it to say, it was breathtaking.  (Which was not necessarily good, because the air was not very breathable.  You can see the smog or Mongolian Desert dust, or whatever it was, hanging in the air.)

Take me home