Peking University’s Stone Lion Gets Neutered! Missing Parts Remain a Mystery in Bizarre Campus Tale
In the world of campus legends and quirky traditions, few stories capture the imagination quite like the tale of Peking University’s infamous stone lion. While stone guardians typically stand as solemn protectors of institutions, this particular lion found itself at the center of an unprecedented and frankly bizarre controversy that left everyone from students to internet detectives utterly perplexed.
The Unfortunate Incident
In February 2020, the prestigious grounds of Peking University became the stage for one of the most unusual campus mysteries in recent memory. One of the library’s guardian stone lions, a male specimen that had stood proudly since 1998, was discovered missing something rather crucial—its private parts. The anatomical feature had been completely removed, leaving behind only what internet wags quickly dubbed “the remaining assets” in a case of art vandalism that bordered on the surreal.
A Campus Icon Violated
The stone lions in question were not ordinary campus decorations. Donated by Xiamen alumni for Peking University’s centennial celebration, the pair—one male, one female—had flanked the library entrance for over two decades. Their bases had been polished to a shine by generations of students and visitors who believed rubbing the lions brought academic luck and prosperity. The male lion in particular was admired for its exquisite craftsmanship, until that fateful day when someone decided to perform an unauthorized “modification.”
Internet Frenzy and Creative Theories
The incident sparked immediate controversy on Peking University’s Unnamed BBS forum, where a post titled “Shocked and Heartbroken: Peking University Stone Lion’s Secret is Gone” quickly topped trending topics. The campus community divided into various camps: traditionalists mourning the violation of cultural heritage, amateur detectives attempting to solve the mystery, and even those suggesting crowdfunding campaigns for restoration.
Internet theorists proposed increasingly imaginative explanations for the missing parts. Some suggested the pieces had been taken home for worship, given the lion’s perceived connection to academic success. Others, with darker humor, speculated about medicinal soups. The most practical—or perhaps least practical—suggestion came from a netizen who proposed repairing the damage with instant noodles, a solution that would likely have added insult to injury.
The Replacement and Moving Forward
Ultimately, the Xiamen Alumni Association decided to donate a new pair of stone lions, which now stand guard at the university’s east gate. Larger and more imposing than their predecessors, the new guardians continue the tradition of protection and symbolism. Yet the original neutered lion remains, a silent testament to one of academia’s strangest vandalism cases—a story that blends cultural significance, campus superstition, and outright absurdity in equal measure.
While the perpetrator was never caught and the missing parts never recovered, the tale continues to circulate as a cautionary reminder: even stone guardians aren’t safe from human eccentricity. The incident serves as a strange footnote in the university’s history, proving that sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction—especially when it involves stone lions, missing anatomy, and campus legends that defy explanation.
