Source: Popular Mechanics (7/15/16)
Incredibly Epic Statue of Ancient Chinese Warrior God Unveiled
Guan Yu stands over 150 feet tall, Green Dragon Crescent Blade in hand.
By Jay Bennett
CCTV News China
China just unveiled what might be the most epic statue of all time. The 157-foot sculpture of the ancient Chinese warrior-god Guan Yu stands on a 33-foot pedestal designed to look like a warship, holding a long halberd weapon known as the “Green Dragon Crescent Blade,”according to CCTV News China.
CCTV News China
The 1,320-ton statue is situated in Jingzhou city in the Hubei province. The axe alone weighs 136 tons, and more than 4,000 strips of bronze were affixed to the statue with an adhesive, according to Shanghaiist. Inside the pedestal is a museum devoted the the great warrior.
CCTV News China
Guan Yu was a general who lived in the third century BC during the period of the Three Kingdoms. He served under warlord Liu Bei and played a significant role in the civil war that led to the collapse of the Han Dynasty. Much of what is known about Guan Yu is now shrouded in myth. He was not only a character in Luo Guanzhong’s historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms—one of the most well known works of Chinese literature—but he was also deified and is still worshiped today by many sects of Confucianism, Taoism, and Chinese Buddhism. Known for his loyalty and righteousness, statues of Guan Yu can be found all over China, though few can stand up to the new one in Jingzhou city.
CCTV News China