A sand sculpture inspired by the film Lord of the Rings has been hailed as Asia's largest sand artwork, and it is a star attraction at the annual sand sculpture festival, which is part of the 2013 Cross-Straits Beach Culture Festival held in the island county of Pingtan, Fujian province.

The festival, with the theme "movie wonderland", includes sculptures depicting characters in popular movies such as Avatar, Cars and Spider-Man, which are attracting crowds of visitors. The 14-meter high Lord of the Rings sculpture depicts the novel's Mordor Castle and required 20,000 cubic meters of sand.

City walls, soldiers, arrows, wizards and spirits are all included in this sculpture, and visitors may encounter unexpected characters hiding in a corner. "I just saw an ugly monster there!" said Xiaoxi, aged 7.

Visitors can see the sculpture from a distance or explore the inside of the castle by climbing wooden stairs to reach a corridor on the second floor.

Another highlight of the festival can be viewed at night, as the whole beach and the sculptures are lit up by colorful lighting.

Many visitors also pose for pictures in front of a heart-shaped decoration featuring orange-color lights in the middle of the beach, which was created by the festival organizers.

Edited by Chen Zhilin and Niva Whyman