Yuexiu Park and Five Rams Statue 越秀公园与五羊石像

About Yuexiu Park and Five Rams Statue

The hill is an outlier of Baiyun Mountain, its highest point a little above 70 metres, and has gone by several names, among them Yuewang Shan and Guanyin Shan. It marks the start of the traditional urban axis, and since the Yuan dynasty every selection of the Eight Views of Guangzhou has included something on it. The ground was laid out as a public park in 1927; today it covers about 690,000 square metres across seven hills and three artificial lakes, with tree cover over 90 per cent and a large stock of old and notable trees. Inside the park stand the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Monument, Zhenhai Tower, surviving lengths of the old Guangzhou city wall, and structures from later periods including the Yuexiushan Stadium, the Guangdong radio and television tower and the Yuexiushan water tower.

The Five Rams statue was carved in 1959 by Yin Jichang, Chen Benzong and Kong Fanwei from 130 granite blocks, standing 11 metres high with a volume of 53 cubic metres. It sets out the legend that gave Guangzhou its nicknames: five immortals flew in on rams carrying ears of grain, gave the grain to the people with a blessing against famine, and left the rams turned to stone, whence the City of Rams and the City of Rice Ears. Each animal in the group is read as a virtue, from the suckling lamb to the large ram on the high point with a rice ear in its mouth. In 1989 further sculpture, pavilions, a gateway and stelae were added below, extending the setting to nearly 10,000 square metres as the Five Rams Immortals Court, whose stone relief runs 42 metres long and up to 7 metres high. The statue is a Guangzhou municipal protected heritage unit.

What to look for

• The Five Rams statue of 1959, 11 metres high and carved from 130 granite blocks
• The Five Rams Immortals Court below it, with a stone relief 42 metres long telling the legend of the grain-bearing immortals
• Zhenhai Tower and the surviving lengths of the old Guangzhou city wall on the hill
• The Sun Yat-sen Memorial Monument, one of the protected monuments standing inside the park
• The park's seven hills and three artificial lakes, with tree cover above 90 per cent and many old trees

Location & getting there

Getting to Yuexiu Park and Five Rams Statue

Choose a precise starting address and return transport stop. Access to individual buildings, performances or viewing platforms is separate from access to public streets.

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