His king has been dead for centuries; yet he seems to spring from the earth, knowledge in hand, ready to advise. The contrast between the green circles of bushes, the field of grass, and the forest of live trees and the serene but stained and crumbling figure are strikingly symbolic. Nature renews itself, but royalty does not. Kings come and go, but nature remains around forever. This is one of the many figures that flank the entrance to the Mausoleum where 300 former rulers of Guilin are buried.