A gift from the Manchurian city of Girin was installed opposite Peter's house on Petrovskaya Embankment when descending to the Neva River. This is a pair of mythical lions — guardians of the law, guards of sacred buildings. In ancient China, they are a symbol of success, the embodiment of royal power and power.

Each monument weighs 2.5 tons and has a height of 4.5 meters. Lions are arranged in pairs: the lion is on the right side, the lioness is on the left. The lion put his paw on the ball (a symbol of treasure and knowledge that brings light and drives away darkness, and at the same time fulfills wishes), the lioness holds a lion. The open mouth of the animal scares off evil demons.

The sculptures are made of granite and presented to the Governor-General N. Grodekov. He transferred them to St. Petersburg and handed them over to the city.

Architect L. Benoit supervised the installation of sculptures and pedestals. All this happened, to the delight of residents of the northern capital, in 1907.