Diameter: 1.3 m  Height: 1.999 m 

The gift, presented by the People’s Government of Yunnan Province to celebrate Macao’s return to the People’s Republic of China, is a gold-overlaid statue cast in red copper. Elephants have long been closely related to the province. According to the ‘Shi Ji’ (‘Historical Records’) written by Shima Qian of the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 9 AD), one record reads, ‘There is a country named Tianyue where people ride on elephants.’ Tianyue was what is known today as Yunnan. For the statue, elephants were specially selected to express congratulations to Macao as they are regarded as the symbol of good fortune. 

The sculpture is composed of three parts: elephants supporting a lotus, a drum, and a granite base. The blossoming lotus on the back of the elephants symbolises the province’s wish of prosperity to Macao after its reunification. The drum and the granite base, decorated with the scenes of farming and dancing, embody the local features of the province. The statue stands 1.999 metres to represent Macao’s return in the year of 1999. This piece expresses the warm wishes from the 40 million people of the province.