Painted clay sculpture of Guan Yu

[Painted clay sculpture of Guan Yu]

Painted clay sculpture of Guan Yu, Ming Dynasty, 168 cm high and 82 cm wide
Guan Yu, whose character is Yunchang, was born in Hedong Jiexian County (now Yuncheng, Shanxi Province). The famous general of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms Period. After his death, he was respected by the people and praised by the imperial court. He was regarded as the Emperor of Guan Sheng and the “Saint of Wu”, and was as famous as Confucius, the “Saint of Literature”. By the end of the Song Dynasty, the temples dedicated to Guan Yu by the people had been “in all counties, prefectures and townships”. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, temples dedicated to Guan Yu spread throughout the mainland of China and extended overseas. Guan Yu is mostly an image of riding a jujube red horse, wearing armor, and holding a green dragon Yanyue knife. There are also people who lean on reading. Some are accompanied by Guan Ping and Zhou Cang. The figure of Guan Yu is tall and dignified. It is the most successful figure in Guan Yu