On September 26th, 2009, over one thousand of people
gathered at Hermann Park to gather the Great Confucius Statue to the
City of Houston, in commemoration of the 30th anniversary
of establishment of the Sino-US diplomatic relations and the 2,560th
anniversary of the birth of Confucius.
Gao Yanping, Consul General of China in Houston, Liu
Guangyuan, minister of the Chinese Embassy in the United States, Sue
Lovell, Houston Mayor Pro, Andrea White, Houston first Lady, Wanda
Adams, Houston Council Member, Charles Foster, co-chair of Friend of
Confucius Sculpture for Hermann Park, Jun Yang, chair of Friend of
Confucius Sculpture for Hermann Park and Lisa Lu, Oscar Academy Awards
Jury Member, gave speeches at the dedication ceremony.
The statue "is a reminder to Houstonians and Texans of the teachings of Confucius, whose ideals, and particularly his thoughts about man's role in society, remain as true today as they were 2,500 years ago," former U.S. Secretary of State James Barker
wrote.
"On behalf of the city of Houston, I thank
you for the very generous gift of a bronze sculpture of Great
Confucius to the citizens of Houston to be dedicated and placed today
in the Hermann Park International Sculpture Garden," said Houston
Mayor Bill White.
Minnette Bosesel, the mayor's assistant for cultural affairs,
welcomed the addition of the Confucius statue to the city's
collection. "Houston is fortunate to receive into the
City Art Collection this beautiful sculpture created by acclaimed
artist Willy Wang. The City is grateful to the Chinese Consulate and
the Friends of Confucius Sculpture."
"We thank the People's Republic of
China, the Friends of Confucius Sculpture committee and artist Willy
Wang for the honor they have bestowed on our city through their
donation of the Confucius statue," said Joe Turner, director of
Parks and Recreation Department of Houston. "We hope that
visitors to the International Sculpture Garden at Herman Park will see
the sculpture and be reminded of the great philosopher's words and
teachings," he said.
