Relocation project of the controversial giant bronze statue of Guan Gong (or Guan Yu) in Jingzhou, Central China's Hubei Province, has been launched in September 2021. Photo: VCG

The relocation project of a giant bronze statue of ancient Chinese general Guan Gong (or Guan Yu) from the Han Dynasty (206BC-AD220), which had drawn criticism for its obtrusive size and incompatible appearance, has been launched despite the approval procedures of the relocation site has not yet been completed. 

China's Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (MOHURD) issued a notice last October, pointing out that the 57.3-meter-high Guan Gong statue cost 170 million yuan ($26.33 million) to build, and located in Jingzhou, Central China's Hubei Province, damaged the style and historical context of the ancient city, ordering the local government to rectify the project. 

According to media reports, the head of the Guan Gong statue has been removed as of September 1 and the dismantling work had been launched. 

The entire relocation project costs 155 million yuan, according to the online approval and supervision platform of investment projects in Hubei Province. 

An official from the local natural resources and planning bureau in Jingzhou told the media that relevant procedures of the relocation address are still being processed. "It takes time to acquire approvals from relevant departments to assure the project proceeds steadily and legitimately," according to the official. 

Qin Jun, deputy director of Jingzhou's natural resources and planning bureau told state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) in a previous interview that the height limit on buildings in the area where the 1,200-ton statue is located is 24 meters, according to Jingzhou city's protection planning of the historical and cultural city. 

According to the rectification planning, the statue will be relocated to a suburban site in the city named Dianjiangtai, which is said to have been built by Guan Yu for military drills, about eight kilometers away from the original site of the Guan Yu-themed park located 300 meters away from Jingzhou's Ancient City Wall, a military defense works which dates back to the Spring and Autumn Period (770BC-476BC) and was rebuilt during the Ming and Qing dynasties.