Sculpture masters from more than 17 countries have gathered in Changsha to create works during the Changsha International Sculpture Art Festival held from Sept 15 to Oct 30.

Themed "City Spirit, City Culture, City Creation", the event is co-sponsored by the China International Culture Communication Center, the Hunan Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and the city government of Changsha. It is expected to be a new showcase for the capital city of Central China's Hunan province.

Yi Lianhong, Party chief of Changsha, believes the festival can provide an ideal platform for cultural exchanges between the city and other locations around the globe and can introduce Changsha's rich culture to the world.

Yi hopes Changsha can become the permanent host for the international event and intends to build Changsha into a city that is internationally renowned for sculpture.

Changsha is known for its rich culture and history. With a history of 3,000 years, the city is the place of origin for the Hunan culture and boasts the Mawangdui Tomb of the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24)－a world archaeological wonder, and Yuelu Academy, which dates back 1,000 years. The city is also noted for its television and entertainment industry.

Changsha has seen fast development of sculptural art in recent years.

The themes of the city's existing sculptures include culture and history, folk customs, sports and technology. A number of excellent works, such as a giant bust of the young Mao Zedong, have gained fame both in China and abroad.

"Urban sculptures are the essential part of a city's culture," said Changsha Mayor Hu Henghua, who seeks to enhance Changsha's international image through the sculpture festival. "With unique artistic value, they reflect the spirit of a city and can effectively represent the city's culture and history."

According to the organizing committee of the event, works created during the festival will be permanently installed at the Yanghu Lake Wetland to further enrich the city's sculpture portfolio.

The festival brings together 21 celebrated artists, including Lei Yixin, Wu Weishan, Carole Turner from the United States, Cicero Davila from Italy, Soria Jordi from France, Etienne Millner from Britain, and Joerg Plickat from Germany.

"I am excited to leave my work here in Changsha and hope it can always demonstrate our Finnish culture," said Finnish sculptor Sakari Peltola, who wants to appeal for the protection of nature through a work featuring three trees.

In addition to inviting art masters, the event organizers also hope to attract more local residents to participate.

During the festival, a large number of locals who have visited the sites were able to watch closely the process of how the sculptures were created.

"The festival gives me a chance to appreciate sculpture works of different art styles from different countries, and meet face to face with artists," said a Changsha resident, surnamed Li.

"It's really a great art class of rich content for me," she added.

 CHINA DAILY
  The opening of the sculpture festival features a ceremony to combine water from the home countries of the artists.

CHINA DAILY
  Sculptors from some 17 countries meet in Changsha, ready to present their best creations to this historical city.

CHINA DAILY
  French artist Soria Jordi instructs a volunteer on how to help visitors to the festival better understand the sculptures.