Article: Is it a lion? Is it a dog? Whatever it is it could be worth pounds 80,000; Christopher Proudlove on the mythology behind the Chinese New Year... and the ancient origins of its most prized symbol.(Features)

SO, welcome to the Year of the Dog and if, like us, you marvel at the celebrations for the Chinese New Year, you'll know the highlight of the colourful spectacle. Performed as a prayer for a good harvest and household safety for the year ahead, a troupe of dancers parade the huge mask of a mythical beast's head and its long body through the streets leaping and prancing to bring the fearsome, writhing creature to life.

But is it a lion, or a dog, or neither? I'll leave that for someone more knowledgeable than me.

The origin of the Chinese lion-dog is shrouded in antiquity and can be traced back to the Han Dynasty, which lasted 400 years from 206 BC to AD ...

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