Favorite Thing: You too can win bets that there really is a Statue of Liberty in China. Just go to the 72 Martyrs Memorial Park in northeast Guangzhou at Huanghuagang (located near the zoo) and you'll find it.
This is a memorial garden commemorating the revolutionary uprising in Guangzhou on April 27, 1911 which eventually led to the fall of the last dynasty nearly 5 months later. It's a beautiful park with gardens of flowers and bamboo, yet the focal point is obviously the presence of the Statue of Liberty. Even the park's entrance ticket (8 yuan) looks like a souvenir of Ellis Island.
There is a shaded corridor which leads toward the monument. On the left are signboards with pictures that tell about the history of the park and its famous statue. The Statue of Liberty was removed twice; once by the Kuomintang and then again during the Cultural Revolution.
Fondest Memory: Another interesting aspect of the Statue of Liberty monument is the different overseas Chinese organizations that donated money toward the park's construction. You will see blocks on the statue's foundation which name the sponsoring organization, including Chinese from all parts of the world. I was surprised to see several American Chinese sponsoring organizations from places in the United States that one doesn't usually associate with overseas Chinese communities; Nebraska and Utah, for example, as well as one from Cuba's Guantanamo! (See additional photo)
For more information, see the following website:
http://www.72martyrs.com.cn
Leave a Comment
email me
add as friend
on Sep 27, 2006
Comments for Confucius about Guangzhou