Lion dance (simplified Chinese: 舞狮; traditional Chinese: 舞獅; pinyin: wǔshī) is a form of traditional dance in Chinese culture, in which performers mimic a lion's movements in a lion costume. The lion dance is often mistaken as dragon dance. An easy way to tell the difference is that a lion is operated by two people, while a dragon needs many people. Also, in a lion dance, the performers' faces are covered, since they are inside the lion. In a dragon dance, the performers can be seen since the dragon is held upon poles. Basic lion dance fundamental movements can be found in most Chinese martial arts.

Chinese lion dances can be broadly categorized into two styles, Northern (北獅) and Southern (南獅). The Northern dance was used as entertainment for the imperial court and elsewhere. The northern lion is usually red, orange, and yellow (sometimes with green fur for the female lion), shaggy in appearance, with a golden head. The northern dance is acrobatic and may include dangerous stunts.

The Southern dance is more symbolic. It is usually performed as a ceremony to exorcise evil spirits and to summon luck and fortune. The southern lion exhibits a wide variety of colors and has a distinctive head with large eyes, a mirror on the forehead, and a single horn at center of the head.

Lion Dance is performed accompanied by the music of beating of drums, cymbals, and gongs instruments synchronize to the lion dance movements and actions.

During the Chinese New Year, lion dancing troupes from the Chinese martial art schools or Chinese guild and associations will visit the houses and shops of the Chinese community to perform the traditional custom of "chai ching" (採青), literally means "plucking the greens", a quest by the 'lion' to pluck the auspicious green normally 'vegetables' like lettuce which in Chinese called 'cái'(菜)that sound like 'cái'(财)(fortune) and auspicious fruit like tangerines tied to a "Hung Bao"/"Angpau" or "red packet" (紅包) containing money (利是 lì xì); either hang highly or just put on a table in front of the premises. The "lion" will dance and approach the "green" and "Hung Bao" like a curious cat, to "eat the green" and "spit" it out leave it in a nice arrangement, keep the "Hung Bao". The lion dance is believed to bring good luck and fortune to the business and the troupe is rewarded with the "Hung Bao".