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Wherever you go in China, you can see lion statues (雕塑). Do you know why?

　61． 　 (put) lion statues outside of buildings is a common practice in China. It was especially common in 　62． 　 /ˈeɪnʃənt/ times. We can see them at the gates of palaces, temples, government offices and the homes of rich people. The statues are usually made 　63． 　 stone. People believe they can scare away evil (邪恶的) spirits and bring good luck.
However, the lion is not 　64． 　 /ˈləʊkl/ in China. It was not until about 2,000 years ago, when lions were 　65． 　 (give) to Chinese emperors as gifts, that the animal could be found in China. Emperors loved lions 　66． 　 they look strong.
They kept lions as pets. The animals were also believed to look like Suan ni (狻猊), one of the nine legendary 　67． 　 (son) of the dragon.
Since the old times, people have put lion statues outside their houses to 　68． 　 /prɔˈtekt/ their families. They usually put a pair of stone lions on each side of the gate to their home. A male lion stands on the 　69． 　 playing with a ball, which stands for power. A female lion is on the right with a baby lion under 　70． 　 (she) left paw (爪子). She stands for a large and happy family.