2017 Lion Dance Silver Coin

As Chinese communities around the world celebrate Spring Festival (the Lunar New Year) on January 28th, this beautiful Lion Dance coin will usher in a hefty dose of good luck for 2017! 

The Spring Festival (Chun-jie) is the most important celebration in Chinese culture. It's a critical time of rebirth in which the whole community comes together to seek blessings from heaven for a prosperous and harmonious year—a request that is symbolically carried out by the majestic lion. 

In Canada, where almost 5% of the population is Chinese, throngs of people take to the streets to watch the lion dance. This ancient celebration is not difficult to find; one merely has to follow the sound of drums, cymbals and gongs that keep evil at bay as they enhance the performance. Lanterns and streamers fly overhead, and the air is charged with energy.

Make 2017 a happy and prosperous year with this beautiful coin! 

• CELEBRATE CHINESE NEW YEAR! A unique collectible to celebrate the New Year and Canada's Chinese communities that enrich the nation's multi-cultural character.
• 99.99% PURE SILVER! Your coin has been expertly crafted in 99.99% pure silver with a matte proof finish that accentuates every detail to stunning effect!
• UNIQUE: The unique 8-dollar denomination on your coin is highly symbolic of wealth and prosperity.

Designed by Canadian artist Simon Ng, your coin features a traditional Chinese lion with one of the two dancers visible as he holds up the lion's head. The dancer's curved body, the position of his feet, and the lion's bowed head convey a sense of movement while the lanterns and streamers enhance the festive tone of the image. The lion's large, dragon-inspired head and beard, its ornately detailed face, and its deeply layered body reveal the remarkable craftsmanship required to create a lion costume, and the physicality needed to bring it to life through dance.

• Lions are not native to China, but were presented to emperors as gifts to promote Silk Road trade during the Han Dynasty (206 BC–220 AD). The lion dance emerged as formal court entertainment, and by the time of the Tang Dynasty (618–906 AD), was being enjoyed by the masses during religious festivals in Japan, Korea and Taiwan. The costumes and performances diversified, but the basic symbolism remained essentially the same.
• The powerful lion is believed to embody all the forces of nature. This is expressed in its colours (yellow, black, green, red, and white) that represent the five directions of the Chinese compass (center, north, east, south, west) and the five elements of life (earth, water, wood, fire, metal).
• The lion's head is inspired by the mythical dragon with a beard and pronounced forehead, often with a horn in the shape of a phoenix to symbolize life and re-birth. Additionally, the lion's ears and tail are from the Chinese unicorn to bring wisdom and luck; its spine represents the wealth and charm of the snake; while the bump on its head holds the longevity of a tortoise shell.
• Over the centuries, the lion dance has evolved into two styles. The southern style mimics the lion's behaviour while the northern style is inspired by martial arts. This dance is more gymnastic and may involve two-legged lions (one performer instead of two) to represent young cubs.

Your coin is encapsulated and presented in a Royal Canadian Mint-branded maroon clamshell with a black beauty box.

• Mintage30,000
• Composition99.99% pure silver
• Finishmatte proof
• Weight (g) 7.96
• Diameter (mm) 27
• Edgeserrated 
• Certificateserialized
• Face value8 dollars
• ArtistSimon Ng (reverse), Susanna Blunt (obverse)