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Thread: Guan Yu

  1. #16
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    Colossal!

    Colossal Guan Yu Statue On Guan Gong Museum
    LIFESTYLE, TRAVEL
    COLOSSAL 190-FOOT STATUE OF CHINA DEIFIED WARRIOR IS SIMPLY BREATHTAKING
    UPDATED JULY 16, 2016 MIKE CHUA

    Among the many things China is capable of achieving is building insanely huge or complex structures and the colossal statue of Chinese legendary General Guan Yu (or more commonly known as Guan Gong, which loosely translates to ‘Lord Guan’) is the latest example. Located in Jingzhou City, Hubei province, this imposing statue designed by renown artist Han Meilin measures 58 meters (190 feet) tall and weighs an incredible 1,200 tons and that’s yet to include the traditional Chinese staff and blade combo weapon known as ‘Qing Long Yan Yue Dao’ (loosely translate to “Green Dragon Crescent Blade“) the deified warrior holds in his right hand.


    Majestic as it is imposing: this effigy is clad in bronze and stands 190 feet tall

    The said weapon stretches 70 meters (230 feet) and weighs in at an uber hefty 136 tons. All told, the entire bronze-clad effigy comes in at a mind-numbing 1,336 tons, which is nearly six times heavier than the Statue of Liberty. The statue, officially unveiled on June 17, is situated atop of Guan Gong Museum at the heart of Guan Gong Righteous Park – one of the designated focal points of Jingzhou city’s tourist attraction. Construction of the park kicked off in February 2014 with a total of 15 billion Yuan (roughly about US2.24 billion) invested.


    All 1,336 tons of it is ready for battle

    With such an obscene amount sunk into the project, it is only natural that it draw flak from the Internet, but we are not going dwell in it cos’ this statue is nonetheless, a testimony of Chinese engineering feat and that’s not to mention that it did provide jobs over the last two years in construction and will continue to do so as the park and museum operates.

    Apart from the obvious like boosting tourism, the Guan Gong project also aims to fortify Jingzhou’s status as the history and cultural city. With a theme revolving around ‘righteousness’, the Guan Gong Museum is a place to showcase the man’s righteous spirit. Unfortunately, we are not able to locate the official website, if any, of this majestic venue, but I am sure if you are keen, you will find your way there when you hit up Jingzhou City, Hubei province.


    A bird’s eye view of the statue shows how enormous it is


    The staff and crescent blade combo weapon stretches 230 feet and weighs 136 tons


    Guan Yu is a General know for his righteousness in the era of Three Kingdoms

    Additional images via Sina.

    Source and images via Sploid and Hubei Provincial [CH]
    I love that last pic. Spectacular.

    I'll give a free subscription to the first member here that posts a real photo of them in front of this wearing a got qi? shirt on this thread. NO PHOTOSHOP. Gotta be the real thing. And it has to be to a U.S. address.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
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  2. #17
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    How do you say Guan Yu in Indonesian?

    Sheet happens.

    Giant statue of Chinese god covered up with sheet in Indonesia after upsetting local Muslims
    BY ALEX LINDER IN NEWS ON AUG 11, 2017 9:30 AM



    A colossal statue of a Chinese god has been unceremoniously covered up by a giant white sheet in Indonesia after upsetting the local Muslim population
    The giant god-turned-ghost is Guan Yu, a heroic Three Kingdoms era general who was later immortalized as a folk deity in China. The 30.4-meter-tall statue reportedly cost 2.5 billion Indonesian rupiahs ($187,000) to build and was funded by private donations to the Kwan Sing Bio Temple in Tuban, East Java.
    It was publicly unveiled last month at a ceremony held inside the temple that was attended by prominent local politicians. Billed as the largest statue of Guan Yu in Southeast Asia, it was hoped that the colossus might help to attract more tourists to the city.
    Instead, so far, the giant statue has attracted only outrage from the locals of Tuban, who are predominately Muslim. Online, many argued that the statue was an affront to Islam and the local people of Indonesia, claiming that it showed how the Chinese were in fact in control of Indonesia's government. Others claimed that the statue was built on public land and without the proper building permits -- despite the fact that the statue was entirely built on land owned by the temple.



    The decision to cover up the statue was made last weekend by the temple's management following consultation with a governmental organization, the Forum of Religious Harmony, which is tasked with ensuring peace between different religious groups in the country, as a way of calming down the situation.
    However, local Muslims have said that merely covering up Guan Yu is not good enough, vowing that if the government does not take action to tear down the statue, then they will do it themselves, holding rallies outside governmental buildings this week to urge local authorities to demolish the ancient warrior god.
    Didik Muadi, the leader of the protests, told the local news site Tempo that the statue of the Chinese god should be torn down and replaced with one honoring Indonesia's national heroes who helped fight for independence, though he is apparently fine with the temple erecting a statue to their god... just so long as it isn't so big.
    “Actually we can allow them to build the statue, just not as high as it was and it should be in the temple, not outside," he said, adding that "We are tolerant."
    Sounds like Didik should really avoid ever paying a vist to the waterfront of Hubei's Jingzhou city.

    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  3. #18
    I mean that's cool and all, but for real, where did that get a sheet that big so quickly?

  4. #19
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    Duke Guan

    I've heard Lord Guan and General Guan but not Duke Guan.

    Why Guan Yu – warrior god known as Duke Guan – is worshipped in Hong Kong and Asia by police, gangsters … and businessmen alike
    The god was a historical figure, a third-century general named Guan Yu, famed for his loyal service to warlord Liu Bei
    Shrines to Duke Guan are common sight in shops, restaurants, police stations and gangsters’ hideouts, and he has numerous temples devoted to him
    Athena Chan
    Published: 10:00am, 6 Jul, 2019


    Chinese deity Guan Yu at the Tin Hau Temple in Yau Ma Tei. Photo: Paul Rushton/Alamy

    Hong Kong has a varied cast of ancient deities. But there is one god so popular that both police and gangsters worship him: Duke Guan, also known as Emperor Guan. He is not only a mythical character but also based on a historical figure, named Guan Yu.
    Duke Guan features prominently in Hong Kong popular culture, from the famous Young and Dangerous film series to TV dramas. Shrines to Duke Guan are commonly found in restaurants, shops, police stations and even thieves’ lairs.


    A statue of Guan Yu in Sha Lo Tung. Photo: Winson Wong

    There are also numerous martial temples and shrines dedicated to the deity in Hong Kong, as well as across mainland China, Macau, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan. The New Territories alone has 13 temples dedicated to Duke Guan, compared with only three in his hometown of Yuncheng, Shanxi province.
    This week, City Weekend explores this famous folk deity who straddles Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism and is revered by followers.

    How did Guan Yu become a god?

    Guan Yu was a brave and loyal general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He was captured by enemy forces in an ambush, and executed in AD219 in Linju, Hubei province.
    Guan Yu was not immediately treated as a god. In Linju, where he was executed, people first started to worship him out of fear. Because Guan had been defeated and executed, people were afraid that he would become a devil and do harm.
    Having a long signature, hirsute beard, described as “peerless” in the Chinese historical text Records of the Three Kingdoms, Guan Yu has a majestic appearance in various Chinese folk stories and religions. His other iconic look is that of a face painted red, streaked with black lines, which symbolises loyalty and righteousness in Chinese opera. Most of the statues of him feature his ever-present trademark sword, the Green Dragon Crescent Blade.


    Guan Yu depicted in his red-face glory at a street shrine in Hong Kong. Photo: Alamy

    The earliest origins of Guan Yu’s deification date back to the Sui dynasty (AD581-618) in the Buddhist tradition. His achievements were later glorified and elevated to an extent that seven emperors, eager to extol the values of loyalty and righteousness throughout their reigns, bestowed on him the longest posthumous title of a god, exceeding 24 Chinese characters, praising him as a great holy deity of war, supporter of peace and promoter of morality and righteousness.
    Why is he worshipped across industries?
    The worship of Guan Yu was commonly encouraged by emperors until the early Song dynasty. Folk culture had cultivated reverence for Duke Guan among the people, especially after Romance of the Three Kingdoms, a historical novel written some time between the late Yuan and the early Ming dynasty (1367–1399). Some emperors later resumed the worship of Duke Guan, due to Guan Yu’s good reputation throughout the empire.
    At least 22 trades and industries worship Duke Guan, praying to him for health, family harmony, justice, marriage, fertility, prosperity and luck. Duke Guan is an almighty god customised to everyone’s needs.

    How influential is he?

    Being one of the most popular and influential deities of imperial China, Duke Guan has the same importance as the Buddhist bodhisattva Guanyin, or Kwun Yum, as known in Hong Kong. In Confucianism, he is of the same rank as Confucius. Lord Guan is honoured as one of the “Saints of War”, also known as the “Saint of Wu”, as a translation of the Chinese term reflecting the ability to use violence in a positive way, while Confucius is called a “Saint of Culture”. In Taoism, Guan Yu is a guardian deity.


    A portrait of Guan Yu at a protest site during 2014’s Occupy movement. Photo: Sam Tsang

    Although it might seem ironic, both police and triads bow to statues of Guan Yu before going on their respective missions. The police regard Duke Guan as a saint signifying loyalty, righteousness, benevolence, bravery and credibility. A minor difference in the statues police and thieves worship is that the ones in police stations usually hold the blade in the right hand, while those used by triads wield it in the left, representing worship by the paths of justice and crime respectively.
    Owners of shops and restaurants believe that putting a statue of Duke Guan in the home can bring prosperity, exorcise evil spirits and protect the house.


    A massive Guan Yu statue in Jingzhou, mainland China.

    How might a warrior god bring prosperity?

    It was understood that Guan Yu was good at managing finance and invented a special method of keeping accounts. He was thus regarded as an accounting expert by merchants and shopkeepers, honoured as a god of commerce. Guan Yu’s emblematic qualities of credibility and loyalty – much prized in trade – also made him a respected deity.
    It is also said that Guan Yu’s spirit is always capable of fighting a victorious battle, which appeals to businesspeople who believe in never giving up.
    Putting up a statue of Duke Guan can also improve the feng shui of a home as a way of protection. In addition, statues of Duke Guan were usually placed in hospitals and funeral venues, keeping people safe from disease and death. Some oppose this practice, saying this object of devotion is not the real historical Guan Yu but an imaginary figure of perfection.
    Nonetheless, Guan Yu has long been a cultural symbol of loyalty and righteousness. It is this steadfastness that Hong Kong people also seek in their worship of the deity.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  5. #20
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    I just posted this on my personal facebook page as an FF

    I thought I'd share it here because it's getting a nice reception there.

    Gene Ching



    FF: 1995 Luoyang Guanlin Temple. This is the burial place of the head of the patron saint of martial arts, Lord Guanyu. He was decaptitated so the head was mounted on a body of sandalwood. Only one other burial temple in China has the honor of the use of the suffix 'lin' - which usually means 'forest' but here means 'tomb' - and that is the tomb of Confucius.

    The Guandao (the weapon I'm lifting) was named after Lord Guan and is one of my favorite weapons of Kung Fu. When Lord Guan wielded it, it was called Green Dragon Crescent Blade (青龍偃月刀) because according to legend, it was forged with the blood of a green dragon. It was also nickamed Frozen Glory (冷艷鋸 - literally 'cold sexy amputator).
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  6. #21
    Personally, there is a key thing that is missing.

    The horse.


  7. #22
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    Great art work. The man is my idol.



    Regards,

    KC
    Hong Kong

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