Life in China 2016: A Picture A Day, August 2 – Every time I go to the Songshan Lake Library, I take a picture of this statue, it’s in need of a new paint job, but, I still like it :-) I’ve never seen a live water buffalo in Songshan Lake, but when we’ve gone outside of the city a ways I’ve seen them. I’ve heard about a beach in Hong Kong where there are water buffalo, and I hope to get to see them some day. I couldn’t find any specific information about this statue, but I’ll quote some information I did find: “Popular in many media, representations of young boys with water buffaloes often have Buddhist overtones. The motif of a youth herding a water buffalo alludes to a famous eleventh- to twelfth-century cycle of parables known as the Ten Ox herding Songs. In this cycle, actions such as looking for an ox and herding it represent some of the steps in the quest for enlightenment.” http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/51230 Also, from Wikipedia, “Ox herd boys riding oxen have been used as a motif in painting and graphic arts to symbolize the ability of the mind to control the body. That is, philosophically, symbolizing the ability of intellectual will to rule bodily strength and its physical urges.”