The “One Sight, Double Wonders Art Festival” showcases salt and sand meticulously carved into art at Mashagou.

▲The “2014 One Sight, Double Wonders Art Festival” kicks off today, where you can admire sculptors shaping grains of salt and sand into forms. (Photo / fromthe Fanjia-Nanbin National Scenic Area fan page)

Tourism Center / Comprehensive Report

While northern Taiwan has the “Fulong International Sand Sculpture Art Festival,” southern Taiwan features the “2014 One Sight, Double Wonders Art Festival” that combines both salt and sand sculptures. The event runs from today until August 31 at Qigu Salt Mountain, Mashagou Coastal Recreational Area, and the Taiwan Salt Museum.

The “One Sight, Double Wonders Art Festival,” which showcases the fusion of salt and sand grains, is now in its third year. Over the past two consecutive years, it has garnered widespread acclaim, attracting a record-breaking 300,000 visitors last year and tripling the number of tourists to the Mashagou Recreational Area, making it one of the hottest summer water-play destinations in southern Taiwan.

▲Spider-Man, Men in Black— the One Sight, Double Wonders exhibition rivals the excitement of Fulong. (Photo / fromthe 2014 One Sight, Double Wonders Art Festival official website, the same applies below)

This year’s salt and sand sculptures incorporate local cultural elements as well as scenes from sci-fi movies, including “Frozen,” “KANO,” and “Godzilla Monster Battle.” At Mashagou, there's even a 30-meter-long sand sculpture of a “terrifying giant centipede.” The three major exhibition areas feature a total of 44 works, setting a new record. In line with the upcoming year-end elections, the Tourism Bureau’s Political Integrity Office specially invited artist Chen Hanzhong to create a sand sculpture titled “Come Together Against Corruption,” which educates and entertains while advocating against corruption, drawing crowds of onlookers.

In addition to the sand sculptures, the event site also offers a variety of exciting salt and sand-related activities: Qigu Salt Mountain presents the “Summer Music Gathering” and “Salt Field Experience”; the Taiwan Salt Museum hosts the “KUSO SALT Voting PK Competition,” “Salt Elder Tales,” “Singing Along the Salt Street,” and “Holiday Master Carvers”; the “Mashagou Recreational Area” has arranged “Sand Sculpture DIY Workshops” and the “June 28–29 Sand Sculpture Creative Competition,” among others. Activities include giving away souvenirs to the first 200 visitors daily and free vertical wind tunnel experiences for the first 50. For detailed event information, visit the“2014 One Sight, Double Wonders Art Festival” official website.

▲% Several wonders of the world and graceful ladies appear together, and you can see them all here. [strong]