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Stone Elephants With Their Load Of Flowering Plants Stand At Top Of Steps In Guangzhou Museum Grounds
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An imposing entrance to a courtyard at the Arts Museum In Guangzhou, presented White Elephants at each side of columns supporting the roof. There are different beliefs as far as white elephants are concerned, some religious, some of power, some of luck, but for whatever reason, white elephants were positioned at the top of steps, they were carriers of tubs of flowering plants.
Much had changed since our first visit to the Guangzhou Museum in 1987, and with more time to spend on this visit we were able to explore deeper into the museum halls and courtyards. In one area there was a collection of bronze statues, each group having a descriptive plaque with information about the statue, enscribed with Chinese characters, and also in the English language. |
The elephant is said to be a symbol of wisdom so the white elephants with their burdens of flowers might be considered appropriate for the Museum. The now named Arts Museum was originally built by members of the Chen Family to house family members attending Guangzhuo, to sit for the Imperial Examinations. If these examinations required wisdom and courage then the white elephants presented something special for anyone in need of these attributes.
There was not enough time to visit all the main halls and courtyards at the Guangzhou Museum, but what we were able to see gave us much to thing about. The preservation of such historic sites is even more important in the modern world, where relics of the past are demolished to make way for modern structures. |
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*** The elephant, and the white elephant (also a religious symbol of Buddha) in particular, has often been used as a symbol of royal power and prestige in Asia; occurring on the flag of the kingdom Laos (three visible, supporting an umbrella, another symbol of royal power) till it became a republic in 1975, and other Indochinese and Thai realms had also displayed one or more white elephants. Src:Wikipedia.Org ***
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