The Lotus Garden of Macau

The Lotus Garden of Macau, also known as the Statue of Guanyin, is a symbolic attraction in Macau, China, and is also the last piece of the series of Sino-Portuguese Friendship Memorials. It is located on an artificial island opposite the Sun Yat-sen Avenue in the new port area of Macau, designed by Portuguese designer Cristina Rocha Leiria, and cast by the Morning Light Group Company in Nanjing, China. The 47 scattered pieces were then assembled on site. The Lotus Garden of Macau consists of two parts: the statue body and the lotus pedestal, weighing 50 tons and with a total height of 20 meters, of which the base is 7 meters high and the standing statue is 13 meters high. Its bottom diameter is 19 meters, composed of 16 lotus petals. The direction of the statue's face was determined by precise calculations of a feng shui master, showing Guanyin crossing over the Mount Song and heading towards the Guanyin Temple on Avenida do Coronel Mesquita. The lotus pedestal of the Lotus Garden of Macau is divided into two levels, the first level being a viewing room with a reception and a souvenir sales department, selling books, albums, and souvenirs published by the Cultural Affairs Bureau. The lower level is a multi-functional exhibition hall and a small library, which has a multimedia resource center, provides internet services, and has more than six hundred volumes of various religious books in multiple languages, as well as other religious culture-related CDs, audio tapes, and video tapes. The multi-functional exhibition hall can accommodate up to fifty people and is suitable for holding small-scale events. The construction of the Lotus Garden of Macau began in 1997, planned and built by the Macau Portuguese government, and was officially unveiled on March 21, 1999, presided over by the Prime Minister of Portugal and the Vice Premier of China, Qian Qichen. This statue displays the graceful lines and dynamic posture of the Bodhisattva Guanyin, with a serene face. From a distance, the eyes are closed, but upon closer inspection, the eyes are watching the world, giving a solemn and majestic impression.