

An absolutely enormous statue of the ancient Chinese warrior/god Guan Yu has finally been completed in Jingzhou city, Hubei province, attracting tourists and locals alike to come out and behold his glory.

Jingzhou’s Guan Yu Park was designed to revolve around the concept and character for righteousness (义), Sina reports. In the middle stands the legend himself, at 48 meters tall, atop a 10-meter-tall pedestal. Over 4,000 strips of bronze have been glued over the 1,320 ton sculpture that carries an intimidating axe-like weapon called the “Green Dragon Crescent Blade” which weighs another 136 tons, according to CCTV News.



The pedestal has been built to look like an ancient warship, standing proud on his warship, Guan Yu is portrayed as a fearless warrior, ready to battle against the waves. By walking up a staircase into the pedastal, visitors can soon visit the 8,000 square meter Guan Yu Museum inside.







Most netizens on Weibo can’t help but be impressed by the majestic statue, while a few have posted some disparaging remarks about its sheer size and awesomeness

“I think this statue is a complete waste of time and money. Why does it have to be so huge?” one asked.

“I doubt Guan Yu would approve of the fact that the government splashed out so much cash on constructing this sculpture. He advocated “justice” for the entire society,” another argued.

“From what I’ve gathered, the statue has brought many advantages, such as stimulating the economy and promoting Chinese culture. I don’t see why people are so upset about this,” one web user wrote.

For those unfamiliar with ancient Chinese history, Guan Yu, or Lord Guan, is a heroic Chinese general from the Three Kingdoms period, who was immortalized in one of China’s most famous books and turned into a god. While his physical appearance is absent from historical records, he is often remembered as a robust man with a long beard.

And now there’s finally a sculpture of him that worshippers won’t mistake for an online game character.



Check out how Giant Guan Yu took shape:



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Wait, are we sure that’s not Garen?By Katie Ngai[Images via CCTV News