That seems to be the case for this Lion head, as it is displayed at the ShangriLa hotel's lobby.
The Lion head is, of course, part of the lion costume used in the Lion dance - supposedly for luck and prosperity, if done at any business establishment (and yes, a hotel is considered a business establishment too). These lions (usually in pairs) then dance around the building, supposedly imbuing it with their luck and blessing.
Larger establishments also have Dragons with the lions. Anyway, the lions, while dancing have to retrieve these red envelopes with money inside. It's amazing seeing how people try to put these envelopes in impossible places... and equally amazing, if not more so, how the people doing the Lion dance can actually retrieve these envelopes.
The people get a good show, and the performers have their 'pay' coming from the hopeful and appreciative crowd. Nice racket, when you think of it... then again, we all could use hope and promises of a better, more profitable life. All this, will happen this coming Sunday, when the New Chinese Year - the Year of the Water Snake, finally arrives.
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