Net blames floods on ancient rhino statue’s removal

As heavy storms swept Southwest China’s Sichuan Province this week, leaving thousands homeless and billions of yuan in damages in its wake, some locals have been pointing fingers online – at a moved ancient rhino statue believed by some to protect the city from floods.

Dating 256 BC, the statue, which now sits in the Chengdu Museum, was unearthed from its original spot in the city’s Tianfu Square in 2013.

According to local legend, the statue was placed there by famed irrigation engineer Li Bing to protect the area from flooding.

On Wednesday, authorities punished a woman for “spreading rumors” that the flooding in Sichuan was triggered after archaeologists removed the rhino from its original place.

However, concerns over the legend had already been part of the public discourse, as detailed by one man in a published message to Chengdu mayor Luo Qiang.

“Dear mayor, places around Chengdu tend to be struck by heavy rainfalls almost every summer, which causes lots of destruction and financial losses,” the man wrote on June 27.

“Therefore, I hope you could ask people to move the ancient stone rhino statue out of museum and put it back in its original place.”

Eventually, local authorities to step in and explain there is no connection.

“In 1947 and 1981, Chengdu saw two big floods, and at that time the statue was in its original place and had not been discovered,” an officer from the Chengdu Culture, Radio and TV, Press and Publication Bureau posted on July 3.