As a landmark of Lingnan culture, Guangzhou Yuexiu Park’s historical relics carry the profound memories of Guangzhou’s 2,200-year city-building history. The following is a deep analysis of the core historical relics of the park:

Primero, the Five Goats Stone Statue – a civilization totem of the origin of the city

Cultural symbol: The Five Goats Stone statue stands at the Wooden Shell Hill, standing 11 meters tall. It is shaped in the style of Chu culture to create the myth of the Five Goats holding ears of grain, forming a historical echo with the “Ancient Chu Pavilion” stone archway of the Qing Dynasty.

Symbolic meaning: As the origin symbol of the alternative names “Yangcheng” y “Suicheng” for Guangzhou, the legend engraved on the base of the stone statue records the collective memory of the ancestors of Lingnan in opening up the port and pioneering the land.

Segundo, Zhenhai Tower – the spatio-temporal coordinate of the first tower in Lingnan

Architectural form: The Zhenhai Tower, which was first built in the 13th year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty (1380), features a five-story hip roof structure that harmoniously aligns with the principles of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements. Its red walls and green tiles form an ecological fit with the climate of Lingnan.

Functional evolution: As a watchtower for the coastal defense outpost of Guangzhou in the Ming Dynasty, its function shifted from military defense to a city landmark. The existing plaque inscribed with “Zhenhai Cenlou” was written by the Viceroy of Guangdong and Guangxi in the Qing Dynasty.

Exhibition Value: The Guangzhou Museum in the building houses over 2,000 cultural relics ranging from the Neolithic Age to modern times. Among them, the wooden slips of the Nanyue Kingdom and the copper drums of the Nanhai Temple provide evidence for the study of the Maritime Silk Road.

Tercero, the ancient city walls of the Ming Dynasty – a living specimen of urban evolution

The existing scale: The 1,100-meter-long Ming Dynasty city wall preserved in Yuexiu Park was built using the “gold-clad silver” masonry technique, with the outer layer of red sandstone and the inner layer of rammed soil forming a mechanical balance.

Defense system: The city walls and the four forts form a three-dimensional defense. The forts’ ruins still have iron guns cast during the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty, with rifling technology leading that of European artillery at the same time.

Restoration techniques: The city wall protection project initiated in 2019 adopted the traditional glutinous rice mortar technique. After restoration, the battlements, horse faces and other structures fully demonstrate the ancient wisdom of city defense.

Cuatro, the Sun Yat-sen Monument – a spiritual monument of the Democratic revolution

Architectural features: The granite obelisk, with a height of 37 meters, follows the golden ratio in proportion. The reliefs on the stele body depict historical scenes such as the Wuchang Uprising and the Protection of the Constitution Movement.

The value of the inscription: Mr. Sun Yat-sen hand-wrote the four characters “The Righteousness of Heaven and Earth”, and the inscription was written by Hu Hanmin, systematically expounding the ideological system of the Three Principles of the People.

Light and shadow Narrative: The stele body forms unique light and shadow effects at different times. At noon, the projection on the top of the stele forms a historical axis with the Zhenhai Tower, and at sunset, it slant onto the inscribed stone with the words “Eternal Righteousness”.

Quinto, Haiyuan Pavilion and Sifang Fort – A three-dimensional Witness to Modern History

The Seafarers’ Pavilion: A hexagonal pointed-shaped pavilion built in 1933, with an inlaid stele of “A Brief Account of the Strike” inside. It recreates the scene of workers refusing to sign “indentals of indentals” during the great strike between Guangdong and Hong Kong through relief art.

The Four-sided battery: The existing battery base adopts a “pin” shape layout. The unearthed fragments of the Congriff rocket prove that it was involved in the defense system of the Opium War.

Historical Dialogue: The two sites have been restored through AR technology. Tourists can scan the code to watch the historical scenes of the virtual strike teams confronting the British army.

Sexto, contemporary practice of cultural inheritance

The revitalization of intangible cultural heritage: The “Cantonese Opera Feast Night at Dongmen City Tower” held every Saturday combines Cantonese opera with Cantonese tea. In 2025, the Spring Festival Lantern Festival set a new record for the display of intangible cultural heritage with a 20-meter-tall Cantonese opera phoenix crown lantern.

New archaeological discovery: During the archaeological excavation carried out in conjunction with the subway construction, a drainage system from the Nanyue Kingdom period was discovered on the west side of the park. The unearthed pottery water pipes were marked with the “Fanyu” stamp, providing evidence of the founding history of Guangzhou.

Smart Tour Guide: Tourists can scan the ruins with AR glasses to obtain 3D models. The “digital twin” technology used in the restoration of the Ming Dynasty city walls has been opened to the public for experience.