Sand sculptures are a common scene at the beach. But who would expect to find these ephemeral works of art in an inland desert area? Take a stroll along the border of northern China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, and you'll stumble upon a series of sand sculptures restoring the ancient "Silk Road" to its former glory.
The sand sculptures take us back thousands of years. The "Silk Road" was once a major route linking Europe and Asia. Valuable fabrics of course, but also exotic spices, precious metals and other goods were all traded along this dusty route.
The Ningxia Shahu Scenic Spot invited sand sculptors to put their magic fingers to work around the theme, the "Silk Road Wonder." They drew their inspiration from historical characters and events, to create the world's only sandy version of the "Silk Road."
Unlike most important sand sculpture displays, this one attracted both masters in the field and young amateurs. A group of local university students used the artistic space to let their imaginations run wild, spicing up history with a good dose of originality.
Living up to bold titles such as "The Grand Scene of the Jiayu Pass" and the "Tianshan Mountain Pearl," they managed to capture the grandeur of the boundless desert in precise and detailed strokes.
Let the sandy figures carry you back in time to experience the wild exoticism of the ancient "Silk Road."
(cctv.com.cn May 10, 2003)
