Yelang Valley in China 2024-2025
Gaze into the forever open eyes of these giant rocky creatures!
Best time: all year round
Giant rocky figures are relatively new creations of a former professor, cartoonist, and artist, 76-year-old Song Peilun. In 20 years time he designed this stunning sculpture garden with face featured towers, large stone castles, and big lakes on a space of two million square feet.
Yelang Valley is the way of remembering and honouring the Yelang tribes that lived in the province of Guizhou nearly 2,000 years ago. Members of these tribes hallowed many different traditions. Dancing with Nuo masks was the brightest one. Masks were believed to keep strength during hardships as well as to hold power against evil spirits. Inspired by all that, Song, with the support of Huaxi locals knowledgeable in stonework, pieced together giant stone creatures with bright Nuo faces.
The plan of building Yelang Valley came to Song after exploring the Crazy Horse Memorial, and his dream and aim were to construct a mystical sculpture park out of stone. By the way, he considered using metal or wood as stuff to make the sculptures but then chose rock which is both cheap and environmentally friendly.
Song wanted his valley to become an inhabited community, so many musicians and painters are now living in Yelang Valley. Even buildings of the university opened nearby. Students also helped Peilun continue constructing his artwork.
