Zhoushan's sand sculpture success

Brand and annual festival have now gone international, Yan Yiqi reports.

Twenty-eight sand sculptors from home and abroad gathered at Nansha Beach in Zhoushan for two weeks of creative work for this year's International Sand Sculpture Festival, presenting 53 finished pieces on Sep 21.

Eight of the artists were from countries including Spain , the United States and the Netherlands.

Since the city introduced sand sculpture in 1999, the art form has become a symbol of Zhoushan. It is also a driving force in the city's tourism and cultural industries.

Ding Wenxi, deputy manager of Zhoushan International Sand Sculpture Co, said that the annual number of tourist coming to Nansha rose from 400,000 in 1999 to 4 million last year.

The income brought by tourists contributed more than 1.5 billion yuan to the city's economy in 2013. Its total GDP was 93.09 billion yuan for the year

"In the past, due to weather condition, tourists came to Zhoushan only in summer. After holding the sand sculpture festivals, there are smaller differences between peak and low seasons," said Ding.

Ding said that the festival is not only an event that invites sculptors and presents their work to tourists.

It has developed into a whole chain of cultural components including sand sculpture lectures for kids and selling related souvenirs including paintings, stamp collection books and T-shirts.

"Zhoushan is the cradle of China's sand sculpture art. We have developed this concept into a unique culture for Zhoushan, not only in tourism," said Ding.

Ding said that the Zhoushan Sand Sculpture brand is no longer just a local name. The company has already taken it into other domestic markets and overseas.

The company cooperates with Beijing, Dalian, Kunming and Xiamen for advertising and displays of sand sculpture works around the country.

"We also made standard procedures for sand sculpture in China to better regulate this industry" Ding said.

For overseas market, the company works with international sand sculpture company Inaxi Holland. Zhoushan sand sculptures have now been seen in Belgium, France and Germany.

Eppo Vogel, director of Inaxi Holland, said that he enjoyed working with Zhoushan."I still remember the first time I visited Zhoushan. It was on a very rainy day in the spring of 2001. I was standing on the beautiful sand beach of Zhujianjian discussing the possibility of building a big sand sculpture show," he recalled.

"Over seven years of cooperation, it has been a great pleasure working together with all the people that have been involved in the organization and realization of the China Zhoushan International Sand Sculpture Festival. For me personally, I have learned a lot from my Chinese colleagues and I think that in working together on this cultural event we have built a little part of a bridge between Eastern and Western cultures."

Vogel said that the Zhoushan festival now plays an important role in the world of international sand sculpture. Australian sculptor Kevin Crawford has been attending the Zhoushan festival for seven consecutive years. He said that the experience left him with many valuable memories.

"I love the atmosphere here in Zhoushan and the beautiful sand beaches. Sculpting here is an enjoyable experience for me and I will definitely come more times," he said.

Contact the writer at yanyiqi@chinadaily.com.cn