Guan Gong assumes the heroic stance of a warrior, the celebrated Green Dragon Crescent Blade grasped in his right hand, the grip of a sword firmly in his left. Like a lone pine braving the winter snow, the legendary general’s dignified demeanour belies an iron resolve. Inspired by long-standing traditions in canonical Guan Gong iconography, Xu Xiao Yong’s interpretation seems alive. Every element, from resolute expression, halberd and breastplate dragons, and mountain pattern armour, to fluid drapery, and the subtle shift of weight from left foot to right, is modelled in vivid detail. The sculpture stands on a base of merbau in a natural finish. Guan Yu 關羽 served as a military general during the Eastern Han Dynasty (25 CE – 220 CE). A well-known historical figure and folk hero, he became a semi-fictional character in classical Chinese literature, and was eventually deified as Guan Gong (關公 Lord Guan). Chinese society reveres him as an upholder of good and defender of integrity, personifying loyalty, courage and righteousness.