Yuexiu Park

The largest park in Guangzhou, Yuexiu Park covers an area of 93 hectares. Besides a number of artificial lakes and a huge swimming pool, the park is renowned for its Zhenhai Tower and the Sculpture of the Five Rams.

Zhenhai Tower stands on the top of Yuexiu Hill in the northern suburbs, the 28-metre-high five-storey tower - also known as the Five-storey Pagoda - was built on the order of Zhu Liangzu, the Yongjia Marquis of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), to flaunt his power said to be able to "shake the seas and mountains." It is a magnificent building, commanding a bird's-eye view of the whole city. The tower now houses the City Museum, with exhibits, which describe the history of Guangzhou from Neolithic times till the early part of this century.

The Sculpture of the Five Rams, the symbol of Guangzhou, was erected in 1959. A beautiful legend said that long, long ago there were five celestial beings, who wore robes of five colors. One day they rode rams through the air to Guangzhou, each carrying a stem of rice. They presented to the people the auspicious sign from heaven and told them that the area would be free from famine forever.