Apparently this stone lion at the Chinatown gate was hard-carved in Suchow, China. Making a large stone carving such is this is literally a monumental task. Each bit of stone that is chiseled away is meaningless on its own, but after many, many bits of stone are chipped away a wonderful shape emerges. It must require a lot of skill and careful work. Life is like that too; you have to chip away every day and eventually you'll create something wonderful.