A New Ode to the Frontier

A New Ode to the Frontier

Introduction This sculpture is located in the residential area east of Shihezi Leisure Square and was created according to the overall plan for the new sculpture complex in Shihezi. The group sculpture consists of three women and one baby boy. The sculpture stands 4 meters tall in total, with the main body measuring 2.8 meters in height, 7 meters in length, and 1.7 meters in width; the base is 1.2 meters high, 8 meters long, and 2 meters wide.

The sculptor carefully conceived the theme and arranged the four figures in a well-balanced composition. The mother in the center, cradling the baby, is the focal point of the group sculpture. She represents the image of Shandong and Hunan women who came to the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps in the early 1950s. To her front side stands a young woman with short hair, reminiscent of the educated youth from Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin, Wuhan, and other cities who joined the corps’ construction in the 1960s. She appears carefree and serene, full of hope for a bright future. The Uyghur girl in the sculpture is a typical representation of the ethnic minorities within the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.

This group sculpture was primarily funded by the Eighth Agricultural Division of Shihezi City and was created by the renowned Chinese female sculptor He E. The artist employed a triangular composition, giving the entire sculpture the appearance of a mountain, firmly rooted on the earth — symbolizing the millions of Corps members who have settled and thrived on the frontier.　

Shihezi, Xinjiang