One of the world’s largest sculptures is now proudly standing in a Central Chinese city square and how it got there is captivating. The Oriental Lion, has been in the works for over the span of three years. The beast is made entirely out of one single redwood tree trunk.
Chinese architect, Dengding Rui, had originated this project in Myanmar located in Southeast Asia. Throughout his sculpting process, over 20 other people aided Rui.
In late 2015, the exquisite beast had finally been finished and was transferred to Wuhan’s Fortune Plaza Times Square, which is over 3000 miles to reach from Myanmar. The Oriental Lion is measured to be about 48 feet long, 17 feet high and 13 feet wide, imagine transporting something that huge!
In traditional Chinese culture, the lion plays a very vital role. Many of their symbols were passed down when Buddhism spread throughout India and China, one of them being of course, the lion. Lions represent protectors and safety.
Sculptures were found “guarding” gates of palaces such as the fabled Forbidden City in Beijing. Nowadays, these beast sculptures can even be found in front of hotels and even restaurants. You know just in case evil spirits are still roaming around in our modern daytime.