Fangkai Tropic of Cancer Monument

Fangkai Tropic of Cancer Monument

On June 2, 1984 (Summer Solstice), China's tallest Tropic of Cancer monument was built in Jiangbin Park, Jiangkou Town, Fangkai County, Guangdong Province.

The monument faces south from the north, with its foundation supported by four concrete pillars each 0.5 meters in diameter, 6 meters long, atop a 12-meter-wide base. The inner ring is made of concrete, while the outer part is paved with locally sourced granite arranged in an eight-trigram pattern, with its axis precisely aligned north-south.

The base of the tower is shaped like a hemisphere, with alternating solid and dashed lines indicating the path of the Tropic of Cancer. The tower body is supported by four diagonal pillars. Its front faces south, divided according to ancient orientations: Li (east), Kan (south), Zhen (west), and Dui (north). The four pillars are positioned at Xun (southeast), Gen (northeast), Qian (northwest), and Kun (southwest).

The tower stands 15 meters tall. From ground level to 8.4 meters, it is constructed of reinforced concrete, clad in locally sourced red cloud marble. The four sides are inlaid with six five-millimeter-high bronze characters reading “Tropic of Cancer Monument,” which are striking and elegant. The front is inscribed with the dedication: “Erected by the People’s Government of Fangkai County on June 21, 1984.” The four pillars at the base of the tower are engraved with inscriptions such as “On the Summer Solstice, at 12:34 Beijing Time, the sun is directly overhead at this location.” The tower body from 8.4 to 15 meters is welded from stainless steel, with two wing-like extensions on each of the four facets. When viewed from different angles, these form the shape of the character “北” (north), symbolizing the “Tropic of Cancer.” The top features a 62.1-centimeter-diameter bronze sphere, representing the date of the Summer Solstice on June 21.

The bronze sphere has a 10-centimeter hole in the center, used for solar alignment verification. The smooth sphere symbolizes the sun, shining brilliantly under sunlight, creating a spectacular sight. Paired with the silver-white tower frame and set against the backdrop of red cloud marble and pink stone, it appears majestic and imposing. The hemispherical base represents the Earth. The eight-trigram diagram includes both the Early Heaven (Yi Jing) and Later Heaven (Zhou Yi) arrangements, ancient Chinese methods of dividing spatial imagery. Shaping the base into an eight-trigram pattern adds ethnic character and infuses the Tropic of Cancer monument with the mysterious allure of astronomy and geography, symbolizing that science has no bounds and encouraging continuous learning, exploration, research, and verification...

The Tropic of Cancer is the latitude line at 23°26′ north. It is the northernmost latitude where the sun can appear directly overhead when viewed from Earth, and also marks the boundary between the tropics and the northern temperate zone. The point of direct solar radiation moves from south to north to this line around the Northern Hemisphere’s Summer Solstice (around June 22), then reverses and moves from north to south. Establishing a Tropic of Cancer monument plays an important role in astronomical scientific research.

This monument not only embodies scientific, artistic, and geographical-astronomical characteristics but is also currently the tallest Tropic of Cancer monument in the world.