Giant Chinese general Guan Yu statue stands in Jingzhou

The giant statue of ancient Chinese general Guan Yu is on display at the Guan Gong Cultural Park in Hubei province. [Photo/IC]

The enormous statue of ancient Chinese general Guan Yu has been unveiled at the Guan Gong Cultural Park in Jingzhou in Central China's Hubei province. The statue is 58 meters tall and weighs more than 1,320 tonnes. It also consists of more than 4,000 strips of bronze.

It was designed by Han Meilin, who is famous for his designs for the 2008 Beijing Olympics mascots. The monument is so big that there's even an 8,000-square-meter museum inside it.

Guan Yu lived during China's turbulent Three Kingdoms（AD 220-280）period. He carried an axe-like weapon called a Green Dragon Crescent Blade, which has been immortalized with him as part of the statue.