Nantou gears up for sand sculpture art festival

2016/01/05

The Nantou International Sand Sculpture Art Festival is to kick off New Year’s Day in the central Taiwan county, highlighting the area’s potential as a regional hub for the popular art genre.

To be staged along a one-kilometer-long riverbank near Lumei Bridge on the Maoluo River, the sixth edition of the event will feature more than 100 sand sculptures by 28 artists from home and abroad. It took two months for these talents using a total of 500 tons of river sand to complete their creations.

Wang Song-kwan, president of the event organizer Taiwan Sand Sculpture Art Association, said the riverside sand is naturally adhesive and easily manageable after being mixed with water. “Unlike sea sand, it has no problems generating large-scale pieces such as a glorious castle.”

Themed Century Legends this year, the Eastern figures comprise characters from the time-honored Chinese novel “Journey to the West” and heroes from the Oath of the Peach Garden event of the famous “Romance of the Three Kingdoms.”

Equally impressive are the Western mythological icons, which include a 60-meter dragon, a pirate captain and his ship, as well as angels, kings and queens of the Middle Ages, elves and dwarves from fantasy fiction and super heroes like Batman and Superman.

“We believe the event, which wraps up March 6 next year, will draw record locals and tourists as the public and private sectors both spared no efforts in promoting the festival,” Wang said.

Having attracted an average of 500,000 visitors per month in past years, the festival is certain to pave the way for a sand sculpture cultural park to be launched next year near the Formosa Freeway, according to a Nantou County Government official.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=240833&ctNode=2194&mp=9)