Sculpting the perfect city in Changchun

Artists have begun large-scale sculpting for the 13th China Changchun International Sculpture Exhibition.

There are many sculpture parks throughout China, but nowhere are people more passionate about this form of artwork than in Changchun, the capital city of Jilin province. Nor is any other locale as diverse in style. Raymond Zhou and Liu Mingtai report in Changchun.

There is the statue of Apollo on Culture Square, au naturel in the style of ancient Greece, yet his arms are outstretched in a pose representing Soviet athleticism. He sits with his back against a reclining Goddess of the Moon and together they form a yin and yang arrangement.

There is a silhouette of two cyclists in stainless steel, which has been appropriately positioned outside the city stadium. Casts of Auguste Rodin's Thinker and The Age of Bronze greet visitors to the Changchun World Sculpture Park.

The 92-hectare park is the natural choice for most people, locals and tourists because it is conveniently located at the southern end of the axis road.

Since it opened in 2003, it has been graced by more than 1 million visitors, who can either browse the exhibition halls where 300-plus pieces are on display (with 1,000 in the collection) or wander along the quiet paths to discover the 448 more that accentuate the tapestry of nature.

You may not find every piece to your fancy, but on the other hand you'll surely find something to your liking.

I was fascinated by a bronze bust of Shakespeare, who was portrayed sitting with his left hand holding a quill pen and his face wearing an expression half pensive, half roguish.

The centerpiece of the park is a 23.5-meter obelisk with three maidens, respectively representing peace, friendship and springtime. It sits on a 6-meter platform in the shape of a blossoming flower.

The five petals point to five smaller statues portraying the theme of music from the five continents, forming a square 48 meters in diameter.

This study in global unison is quite typical of the Chinese aesthetic, combining Western classicism with Chinese touches. It is also a blending of State-sanctioned ideology with mass appeal.