Things to do in Gansu, China: The Best Monuments & Statues

Reviewed By garyr0bertb - China, null

I sauntered around the ‘Mother’ in December 2020 as part of a 6 hour walk. In fact, I discovered her by accident. As a sculpture, the more I paused to look, the more beautiful the mother and son appeared, especially with the late afternoon sun on the granite. As I stopped and took photos, a few local people approached me and wanted to know where I came from, and I asked them about the sculpture (using a translation app and very broken English and Chinese). They were very proud of their sculpture. The sculpture is in the riverside park, on the southern side of the Yellow River adjacent to Nanbinhe East Road and opposite the Northeast gate (Xiaoxihu) - more toward the northwest section of the park. She and her child are permanently moored next to some colourful river boats. It is a wonderful artistic depiction of mother and child though the faces seem to be racially idealised. When I first saw the child, he looked like the progeny of Alexander the Great! They exude serenity and grace. Below the figures are swooping lines and fish designs which appear ancient in style. Not far from the ‘Mother’, people were dancing, playing traditional instruments, singing, flying kites, strolling and just getting out of the apartments to catch that extra warmth in the winter afternoon. Further down the river park, there are other sculptures as well. My favourite was the “Journey to the West” with Tripitaka, Horse, Monkey, Pigsy and Sandy for those who watched “Monkey Magic” in the 1980s. Next to the sculpture is a monument which I was told is a commemoration to the Yellow River. Include the ‘Mother’ on your Lanzhou riverside walk and appreciate how much the Yellow River has been the lifeblood of central China.