About 40 new sand sculptures are taking form at a park in Pingtan, Fujian province, ptnet.cn reported on May 21.

The works will reflect the upcoming sand sculpture festival, about the Silk Road and the Chinese dream, according to Li Changjin, an official at the park.

A sculptor works on a sand creation in Pingtan, Fujian province. [Photo/ptnet.cn]

“The sculptures will reflect iconic events, articles, architecture and folk customs along the ancient Silk Road. We also plan to re-arrange them for the convenience of tourists,” he said.

The sculptures will be placed based on different Silk Road routes to show the commerce boom in ancient times, he added.

“The ancient Silk Road has a long history and involves many countries and regions. But we can roughly divide the routes into three parts – the East China Sea route, the South China Sea route and the Land Silk Road route.”

The sculptures for East China Sea route will focus on historical voyages to Japan by Xu Fu and Jian Zhen. The South China Sea route will highlight the advanced marine technologies in ancient China, while the Land Silk Road route section will introduce the culture and customs in the Middle Eastern countries, he said.

Li also revealed that there will be sculptures depicting the flourishing of cross-Straits ties.

Sculptor Zhang Jin’an from Hebei province is working on Zheng He, the great Chinese navigator and explorer who led seven voyages to the Indian Ocean from 1405 to 1433 during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

“We need sculptors with really solid skills,” said Li. “Zheng He is an important figure and the sculpting of his facial parts will be a challenge.”

Guo Baiwei, another sculptor from Helongjiang province, said the most difficult part is the balance of the overall ratio of the work as well as getting use to the quality of sand.