According to legend, the story of the origin of "the lion rolling the hydrangea" is as follows: In the Northern and Southern Dynasties, there was a famous soldier named Zong Yi [què], and in the twenty-second year of Yuanjia (445), there was a war with Lin Yi in the south. Zong Yi was a pioneer. After successive setbacks, he came up with a clever plan and ordered his men to carve wooden blocks, make lion's head covers and masks, and then put on yellow clothes. The enemy thought it was a lion, and they all fled. Zong Yi won the victory. This kind of fighting method gradually spread to the people, and gradually increased the actions of licking, grasping and rolling, turning fierceness into a lovely image, and gradually deduced the custom of giving auspicious gifts to lions. In the traditional jade culture of China, the "lion rolling hydrangea" symbolizing happiness is a common carving theme. Lions have a dignified appearance and were regarded as advocates of law in ancient China. In Buddhism, it is also the guardian of temples and other buildings, and it is the god beast that Sakyamuni serves Manjushri with his left arm.

There are two pairs of stone lions in front of Tiananmen Square, and the male lion is on the east side.

The image of the lion is also widely used among the people, such as the lion with the right front foot (commonly known as hydrangea), the lioness with the left front foot stepping on the little lion, and the male and female lions playing hydrangea, which is called "double lion rolling hydrangea". Large families often carve huge lion town houses to ward off evil spirits. If the jade hair is small, it will often be carved into a lion buckle seal, which is quite popular among jade collectors. The male lion rolls the hydrangea, and the female lion plays the "children and grandchildren" of the little lion. It is said that the lion is standing on the hydrangea, which symbolizes the infinite right to unify the world; Holding the cubs is the lioness, symbolizing maternal love and the continuation of children and grandchildren.