The Lion dance is an important tradition in China. Usually the dance is part of festivities like Chinese New Year, the openings of restaurants and weddings. If well-performed, the Lion dance is believed to bring luck and happiness. Although Lions are not native in China, they came to this country via the famous Silk Road. Rulers in what is today Iran and Afghanistan sent Lions to Chinese emperors as gifts in order to get the right to trade with Silk Road merchants. The origins of the Lion dance dates back as far as of the Han Dynasty (205 B.C. to 220 AD. in China) and during the Tang Dynasty (716-907 A.D.) it was at its peak. It was particularly performed during religious festivals. The Lion dance was not only introduced in China, but also in Korea and Taiwan, where Lions are not native as well. All the Lion dances are not exactly the same in these countries, but the symbolism is quite similar.

The Lion is enacted by two dancers. One handles the head, made out of strong but light materials like paper-mache and bamboo, the other plays the body and the tail under a cloth that is attached to the head. The 'animal' is usually accompanied by three musicians, playing a large drum, cymbals and a gong. A Little Buddha teases it with a fan or a giant ball. The head dancer can move the Lion's eyes, mouth and ears to show the expression of moods. The Lion dance combines art, history and Kung Fu moves. Normally the performers are kung fu practitioners. Every kind of move has a specific musical rhythm. The music follows the moves of the Lion: the drum follows the Lion, and the cymbals and the gong follow the drum player, like an orchestra.

Quite often people observing the dances think that they are looking at dragons. The main difference between Lion dance and dragon dance is that the latter is usually performed with more people than two at a time. Lion Dance is often confused with the Dragon Dance, a related but separate art form. Whereas tens of dancers are needed to perform the Dragon Dance, two people perform the Lion Dance using a costume consisting of a larger head and a short train as the body. Often leading, and/or accompanying the Lion is the Happy Monk, who is portrayed by a dancer wearing a round, smiling mask. The Lion Dance costume varies throughout China. All of the different styles of Lion costumes are highly stylized, and most do not resemble real Lions. Lions were unknown to the Chinese people until the introduction of Buddhism into China during the Han dynasty, two thousand years ago.

Stories about the great, powerful cats were spread by the Buddhist missionaries from India, where Lions were native at that time. Chinese artisans, having no living Lions to serve as models, relied on their imagination to invent the Lion costumes. The costume style most commonly seen today is that of southern China, or the Cantonese Lion. The dance movements also vary among regions of China. The Cantonese Lion is performed with wide stances, slow and deliberate footwork, and very stylized movements of the head. The Northern Lion is danced with lighter, more natural footwork and head movements, often with a comic flair. While the traditional dance styles are being maintained, Lion Dance is evolving. A popular and hybrid style, the Cantonese Lion costume danced in the Northern manner, is an example of new developments in this ancient art form.

Lion Dance was originally practiced as a part of martial arts and acrobatics training. Performing the Lion Dance requires strength, stamina, and agility because of the size and weight of the costume and because the Lion's movements must be kept spirited and continuous. Therefore, the Lion Dance has been used as a non-combative way for Chinese martial artists to compete and to demonstrate their physical prowess. The dancing of the Lion has spiritual and religious significance. The Lion Dance is performed during celebrations and festivals, particularly the Lunar New Year, because it is believed to bring happiness or more good luck. This belief stemmed from ancient shamanistic practices, in which dances imitating animal moves were performed to invoke the really great power of the animal. It then became incorporated into Taoist and Buddhist traditions.

Although the Lion Dance art has been secularized in modern times, one ritual from the southern part of China is still commonly practiced. In the choy ching ("plucking the green") dance, the Lion is enticed to dance by dangling ching, a bouquet of leafy green vegetables. Ching means green in the Chinese language, and green is the color of life and prosperity. While each dance tells a unique story, the Lion typically is portrayed as overcoming physical obstacles to reach its meal of ching. Eventually the Lion eats the ching, and by spitting it out, showers all the audience filled with wonder, with good luck.

Each dance is performed to the accompaniment of drums, cymbals, and gongs. These instruments provide not only a cadence for the dancers to follow, but serve as the "heart-beat" of the Lion. That heart beat is vital as the Lion is thought to be alive. In southern China, every new Lion is first given "life" in the Kai Guang (meaning open the eyes) dedication ceremony before it is used in public performance. As with most Chinese rituals, the ceremony invokes the ancestors and higher beings, and asks for spirit, strength, and dedication. A traditional ceremony is performed at an altar in which incense is burned, and food, wine and tea are also offered. While the real ceremony occasionally can be very elaborate and ornate, it is performed more traditionally in quiet with the simplest altar setting. That is because Lion dancers, being martial artists, strive to be humble and to live simple, quiet lives. Following the offerings, the "dotting the eye" ritual is performed. Most of times, the tongue, the eyes, and the crown of the Lion is painted with red ink, the red symbolizing blood. At this point, the Lion is born. It becomes the embodiment of the spirit of the dance group and a connection to the gods. Once alive, the Lion can transmit blessings to the audience, as in the choy ching ritual.