The theme "Legends of All Eras" unites the group of 26 sand sculptures near the Wish Tower at the Dameisha beach in eastern Shenzhen, stars of the Dameisha International Sand Sculpture Festival, which opened September 27. The sculptures will weather the elements until Christmas Eve, when their creators will destroy them in a ceremony.

"Though we spray on a degradable glue to help preserve the sculptures, they will gradually change, reminding us that beauty is transient," said Yang Guang'an, manager of the festival project. "So we will destroy them when they are still in shape." He made the point that since the art form uses natural materials, sand sculpting is environmentally friendly.

The sand sculpture festival is a major event of the Sixth East Coast Tourism Festival organized by the Yantian District Tourism Bureau, running through December 24.

The sculptors, four expats and 16 Chinese, worked from 8 AM to 6 PM each day, with each sculpture taking one sculptor and his assistants six to 10 days to complete.

"It's the sixth sand sculpture festival at Dameisha since 2001," said Jiang Tao, chief of the Yantian tourism bureau, "and it's the biggest event we've had so far."

Sand sculptures are made using only sand and water. Ephemeral in nature, sand art is welcomed on beaches all over the world.

26 legends from East and West

Zhang Yongkang, younger of the "sand sculptor brothers" from Zhoushan, east China's Zhejiang Province, spent three weeks designing their "Legends of All Eras." Arranged in the shape of an eagle spreading its wings, the 26 sculptures represent the 26 years of Shenzhen's history as a special economic zone, set against the background of human history.

The main sculpture, a seven-meter-tall re-creation of Diwang Mansion, World Trade Building and other city landmarks, celebrates the Shenzhen speed in economic growth. A nearby sculpture depicts the Dameisha beach.

All sculptures on the left of the main sculpture are inspired by Chinese legends and history - Pangu splitting the sky and earth with a swing of his giant ax, Nuwa creating the first human, Emperor Qinshihuang (246-221 BC), Ming Dynasty physician Li Shizhen (1518-1593), and Chang'e, goddess of the moon.

Sculptures on the right depict ancient myths and cultures from abroad - Eve picking fruit from the tree of knowledge, the sphinx in front of a pyramid, a Greek marathon runner.

"I had hoped to add a sculpture of the monkey king or silly old man moving mountains," Zhang Yongkang said, "but the ideas were sacrificed to Dameisha scenes since the major theme is to mark the city's growth."

Noteworthy is Zhang's sculpture "Nezha Overwhelms the Dragon King." The original took third place in the 12th Scheveningen International Sand Sculpture Festival in The Hague in 2002, with a prize of 3,500 euros (US$4,450).

Playing with sand

"Growing up in a family of woodcarvers, my brother and I first tried the art in 1999, when an international sand sculpting event came to our hometown Zhoushan," Zhang Yongkang said.

Thanks to their experience in woodcarving and their interest in sand art, the brothers won prizes at national and international events. In 2001, elder brother Zhang Weikang came in fourth in the World Sand Sculpture Championships at a seaside resort in France.

"We found ourselves addicted to sand sculpting soon after the first event, since it combines building, painting, sculpting and outdoor sports," the elder Zhang said.

"It is a natural human instinct to play with sand, and it is the best way to learn three dimensional sculpting with a free and easy medium that everyone can access. With good sand and a few techniques, almost anything is possible. The only restriction is gravity."

Spadone Pasquale, a graduate of the Academy of Belle Art in Naples, Italy, said he was happy to be part of the sculptors' team at Dameisha. "Sand sculpting is all about having fun with friends," he said. "You can make as many mistakes as you want and change them. Spending time shaping and carving the sand, you will see that slowly the sculpture appears, and for a moment seems to come alive."

Jason Kelly from Australia said he had organized many events in Australia, Japan and Britain, mostly combining music, dance and visual arts. "I've been playing with sand since I was 2 years old. The beaches are out there and all you need is some imagination," he said.

What Kelly did not mention is the hard work: using layers of wooden frames to make the sand compact, watering the sand evenly and pounding it into a solid sand block. Then the artists can carve out the rough sculpture downward from the top into the desired shape before removing the frame to reduce the weight.

(Shenzhen Daily October 11, 2006)