Group Sculpture of Yu the Great Taming the Floods

Group Sculpture of Yu the Great Taming the Floods

The Group Sculpture of Yu the Great Taming the Floods is located directly opposite the Yucheng exit of the Beijing–Taiwan Expressway. In 2013 (the sculpture is 20.13 meters long), the hardworking and simple 520,000 people of Yucheng (the sculpture is 5.2 meters wide), on the land of 990 square kilometers (the platform area is 990 square meters), built this sculpture symbolizing Yu the Great’s 13 years of flood control (the sculpture is 13 meters high), his three passes by his home without entering (three steps on the platform), eight years spent taming the rivers at Julu Hill (Yu’s Pavilion Site) to regulate the Huai, Yangtze, and Han Rivers (eight steps in front of the platform), marking the great achievement, Yu the Great’s lifespan of 64 years (the base is 6.4 meters high), and the overall height of the project is 19.4 meters. The group sculpture is carved from high-quality Wulian red granite, majestic and lifelike. The outer layers of the platform and base are dry-hung with sesame black granite, the platform floor is paved with sesame white granite, and the surrounding railings and panels are made of white marble, with carvings of plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum patterns on the panels. On both sides of the entrance to the platform, there are also carvings of lotus and crabapple patterns. The four large characters “Yu the Great Tames the Floods” in front of the base were inscribed by Mr. Ouyang Zhongshi, while the back of the base features an introduction to the sculpture. On both sides of the base are poems praising Yu the Great by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty and Zeng Jiugao, the magistrate of Yucheng during the Kangxi era. The platform is equipped with ground lights and spotlights, making the sculpture spectacular even at night. On both sides of the base are inscriptions of poems by Emperor Qianlong and Magistrate Zeng Jiugao praising Yu the Great. The construction of the Group Sculpture of Yu the Great Taming the Floods aims to inspire the 520,000 hardworking and simple people of Yucheng to inherit and promote the spirit of Yu the Great—“innovation, hard work, serving the people, and dedication”—to strive in unity and build a happy and beautiful homeland together.

The Group Sculpture of Yu the Great Taming the Floods aims to inherit and promote the spirit of Yu the Great—“innovation, hard work, serving the people, and dedication”—to encourage hard struggle and unity in building a happy and beautiful Yucheng. In ancient times, Yu the Great tamed the floods for the benefit of all; today, Yucheng writes a new chapter in entrepreneurship.

Source: Yucheng City Local Chronicles Compilation Committee