The grand monument of Dr. Sun Yat Sen was built by a famous architect, Lu Yan Zhi in 1929 at the southernmost part of the mountain as a tribute to the great nationalist and Founding Father of Modern China, Sun Yat Sen. Towering 37 meters high, the monument has 100 steps and consists of granite marbles. It has square shape with a pointed tip at the top. Climb the curly stairways from the bottom to the arc gate to see the whole view from above. In each storey of the building there are windows to view distant places. The base of the monument is decorated with 26 sculptures of rams. A marble of 7 meters high and 4 meters wide is located in front of the monument as a symbol of Sun Yat Sen’s convictions. A Chinese calligrapher called Wu Shao Fu carved Chinese characters on the marble which shine under sunrays.
Zhen Hai tower is the second most famous landmark in the park after the statue of five rams. The tower is closed by 5 p.m. and the admission fee is 10 yuan. This five-storeyed building with 28 meters tall and 16 meters wide was constructed in the Hongwu period of the Ming dynasty (1380) on top of the remaining section of Guangzhou’s city walls. It was built by the order of a nobleman or Yongjia Marquis of the Ming dynasty, Zhu Liangzu to display his power and obsession to conquer the sea and mountains. The history recorded that Zhu Liangzu saw yellow and purple air raising over Yuexiu Mountain and he was told by a sorcerer that it was the omen of a new emperor. To subdue this omen, he then instructed to build a tower on top of the mountain. Since the first establishment, the building has been destroyed and rebuilt five times, and was also occupied by French and British armies during the First Opium War. The tower houses the Guangzhou city museum, which keeps cultural and historical relics of the old Guangzhou. On the first floor, visitors are welcomed with three dimensional maps of modern Guangzhou and a giant ancient anchor dated back from the Ming dynasty. Climbing up to the second floor, visitors are presented with the remnants of the tomb of Han dynasty and other relics from the Han period. On the third floor, the building presents the history of Western world and their influence on Guangzhou. The fourth floor tells the story of Guangzhou after the Opium war while the fifth floor has cafes and shops. From the top of the building, you could overview the city and the vista is strikingly inspiring. Because the museum is fairly small, you could easily cover it within 20 minutes.
Since the park is extremely large and it has many attractions, you should spend at least 3 hours to explore the entire site. If you visit Guangzhou, Yue Xiu Park is the place you should not miss at any cost.
Sources:
Personal experience and additional information from other online articles
(Originally taken from my personal blog at www.journeystories.blogspot.com)
