Changsha has been experiencing accelerated development in recent years and needs more international events to enhance its urban quality, according to Lei Yixin, director of the Hunan Academy of Sculpture and one of the advocates for the Changsha International Sculpture Art Festival.

"Arts including sculptures have no boundaries and can be a good approach (for promoting Changsha to the world)," Lei said, while sharing his experience arranging the event.

As a renowned sculptor, Lei is the creator of a number of famous works including a sculpture of Martin Luther King at the National Mall in Washington DC.

Lei said there were few urban sculptures in Changsha before the 1980s. In the early 1990s, the city government started paying attention to urban sculptures and began to install more of them. The city has witnessed a boom in sculptures since the beginning of the new century.

Supported by the city government, Lei headed a group of sculptors who created nine sets of modern sculptures along Furong Road in the city in 2002, with the biggest - The Liuyang River - reaching 15 meters in height. The bronze sculpture featuring a young girl has become one of Changsha's symbols. It is also Lei's favorite among all his works.

While the city was renovating its old urban areas at the beginning of the century, Lei's proposal to preserve Changsha's culture through sculptures was agreed to by the local government.

A group of sculptures reflecting locals' lives in the past were placed along Huangxing Shopping Street, which is a recreation of a century-old street. The sculptures have received consistent praise from both locals and tourists, and won the top honorary prize during the third China Urban Public Sculptures Competition.

"Sculptures can record and reflect the life and history of a city. When the rich historical information is transferred onto urban sculptures, the memory of a city lives on," Lei said.

Changsha's urban sculptures should make full use of its rich cultural diversity while making thematic choices," Lei explained. "Its 3,000-year history contains very rich culture, and a lot of influential figures and events. It's impossible to express them all in a single piece of sculpture."

Lei thinks that as well as sculptures related to the city, Changsha should have some purely artistic sculpture works, to help improve residents' cultural taste.

He said the festival has achieved better than expected effects with the active participation of local residents.

"The sculpting festival has gathered both traditional and modern pieces that fall into different art styles," Lei said.

"They have changed local residents' understanding about sculpture. I believe it will play a positive role in improving the city's image and residents' aesthetic taste."

Contact the writers at fengzhiwei@chinadaily.com.cn

Sculptures depicting local history are placed in the commercial hub of Huangxing Street, a recreation of a century-old street.

The Liuyang River is a masterpiece created by Lei Yixin and his colleagues and an easily recognizable symbol of Changsha.

(China Daily 10/24/2014 page24)