Forty world-renowned sculptors from 20 countries such as Canada, Germany, Spain and Greece came to Tangshan in Hebei province on Aug 28 for a month-long sculpture camp.

The “2010 China-Tangshan Nanhu International Urban Sculpture Camp and Theme City Sculpture Exhibition” opened on Aug 28 at Nanhu Park, the largest urban park in China, which will be used as an outdoor studio for the sculptors. Local residents will have the opportunity to exchange views with sculptors from different countries and enjoy the art produced during the event.

Lin Peng, chief of Tangshan’s Planning Bureau, told reporters that the event’s theme was “Industry Traces and Modern Life,” inviting famous sculptors to Tangshan to use raw materials and local processes. Peng said Tangshan hopes to present to the world a combination of Eastern and Western culture and arts.

Bernard, a Canadian sculptor, expressed his pride at Tangshan’s successful transformation from an industrial to an ecological city after the 1976 earthquake. He said sculpture could express the transformation of a city in the best possible way. “This is my 15th art tour to China, but I still feel excited about this one, because Tangshan is the hometown of Cao Xueqin,” Bernard said. Cao was a Qing Dynasty Chinese writer, best known as the author of Dream of the Red Chamber, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.

Tangshan also was the birthplace of modern industry in China. It was home to the first railroad, first steam locomotive, first cement factory and the first hygiene ceramic facility in China. Today, Tangshan also is becoming a demonstration zone for scientific development in China.

By Audrey and Liu Xi