The Guan Yu Statue was a large monument to deified Chinese military general

Guan Yu Guan Yu (; ), courtesy name Yunchang, was a Chinese military general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Along with Zhang Fei, he shared a brotherly relationship with Liu Bei and accompanied him on ...

that formerly stood in

Jingzhou Jingzhou ( zh, s=, c=荆州, t=, p=Jīngzhōu) is a prefecture-level city in southern Hubei province, China, located on the banks of the Yangtze River. Its total residential population was 5,231,180 based on the Seventh National Population Censu ...

, China. The statue was completed in 2016 but was dismantled in 2022, pending reconstruction in another location.

Background

Guan Yu was a Chinese military general serving under the warlord

Liu Bei Liu Bei (, ; ; 161 – 10 June 223), courtesy name Xuande (), was a China, Chinese warlord in the late Han dynasty#Eastern Han, Eastern Han dynasty who later became the founding Emperor of China, emperor of Shu Han, one of the Three Kingdoms of ...

during the late

Eastern Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

. His life was lionised and his achievements glorified to such an extent after his death in 220 that he was deified during the

Sui dynasty The Sui dynasty ( ) was a short-lived Dynasties of China, Chinese imperial dynasty that ruled from 581 to 618. The re-unification of China proper under the Sui brought the Northern and Southern dynasties era to a close, ending a prolonged peri ...

. Through generations of storytelling, culminating in the 14th-century historical novel ''

Romance of the Three Kingdoms ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' () is a 14th-century historical novel attributed to Luo Guanzhong. It is set in the turbulent years towards the end of the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history, starting in 184 AD and ...

'', his deeds and moral qualities have been given immense emphasis, making Guan Yu one of East Asia's most popular paradigms of loyalty and righteousness. He is still worshipped today as a

bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is a person who has attained, or is striving towards, '' bodhi'' ('awakening', 'enlightenment') or Buddhahood. Often, the term specifically refers to a person who forgoes or delays personal nirvana or ''bodhi'' in ...

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

tradition and as a guardian deity in Chinese

folk religion Folk religion, traditional religion, or vernacular religion comprises, according to religious studies and folkloristics, various forms and expressions of religion that are distinct from the official doctrines and practices of organized religion. ...

and

Taoism Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ' ...

. He is also held in high esteem in

Confucianism Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China, and is variously described as a tradition, philosophy, Religious Confucianism, religion, theory of government, or way of li ...

Description

The statue was designed by

Han Meilin Han Meilin (; born December 26, 1936, in Jinan, ShandongHanban.edu.Hanban.edu." ''Profile of the artist.'' Retrieved on 2008-04-27.Xinhuanet." ''韓美林作品選(圖).'' Retrieved on 2008-04-27.) is a Chinese artist most recognized today for hi ...

. Construction finished in 2016. It stood at 58 metres tall, weighed 1,197 tonnes, and was made of around 4,000 bronze strips. The project began in 2013, when Han Meilin visited Jingzhou for inspiration. Han personally oversaw the designing and installing of the statue. Guan Yu was depicted wearing his traditional robes and cloak and wielding his famous

guandao A ''guandao'' is a type of Chinese polearm that is used in some forms of Chinese martial arts. In Chinese, it is properly called a ''yanyuedao'' (偃月刀; lit. "reclining moon blade"), the name under which it always appears in texts from th ...

, the

Green Dragon Crescent Blade The Green Dragon Crescent Blade () is a legendary weapon wielded by the Chinese general Guan Yu in the 14th-century historical novel ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms''. It is a guandao, a type of traditional Chinese weapon. It is also sometim ...

, which weighed 123 tonnes. The figure stood atop a 10-metre pedestal resembling an ancient Chinese warship. Inside the base was a 7,710 square-metre museum and shrine to Guan Yu. The project, which cost 1.5 billion yuan, was officially opened to the public on June 17, 2016. The unveiling was accompanied by worship and festivities. Han Meilin was present for the ceremony.

Relocation

In September 2020, the

Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development The Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development is a ministry of the People's Republic of China which provides housing and regulates the state construction activities in mainland China. History It was formerly known as the Ministry of Co ...

criticized the Guan Yu statue as "vain and wasteful", stating that its towering presence in the skyline "ruined the character and culture of Jingzhou as a historic city" and calling for rectification. An investigation by the state broadcaster

China Central Television China Central Television (CCTV) is the State media, national television broadcaster of China, established in 1958. CCTV is operated by the National Radio and Television Administration which reports directly to the Publicity Department of th ...

revealed that the project's developers only had permission to build the pedestal of the statue (the museum). The developers, treating the statue as a piece of art, claimed to be unaware that large statues required their own planning processes, nor were they aware that the statue's current location had a height limit of 15 metres. Additionally, land under the statue started to

sink A sink (also known as ''basin'' in the UK) is a bowl-shaped plumbing fixture for washing hands, dishwashing, and other purposes. Sinks have a tap (faucet) that supplies hot and cold water and may include a spray feature to be used for fas ...

under its weight. In response to the central government order, Jingzhou city officials announced in October 2020 that the statue would be relocated. The new location of the statue will be 8 km away in Dianjiangtai, where Guan Yu is said to have drilled his troops. The cost of the relocation is estimated at 155 million yuan. The dismantling of the statue began in September 2021 and was complete by the first half of 2022. The museum closed its doors to the public and has no plans of reopening in the short term. Construction of the statue at the new site has yet to begin as of April 2023.

References

{{reflist 2016 sculptures Bronze sculptures in China Sculptures of gods Jingzhou Guan Yu Colossal statues in China 2016 establishments in China Buildings and structures in Hubei Statues removed in 2022