The Fulong Sand Sculpture Art Festival draws crowds with Hugo and Nini

By MOOK Travel Life Network, Wei Ruiwei, compiled and reported

The “2012 Fulong International Sand Sculpture Art Festival” will take place from May 5 to June 24 at Fulong Beach. The site will showcase 44 sand sculptures crafted by 36 world-class “sand artists” from 8 countries. Recently, the sculpture of “Jeremy Lin” has just been completed, attracting many fans who come specially to take photos with it. Additionally, from April 24 to May 3, for the first time in four years, the “International Sand Sculpture Invitational Competition” will be held, allowing visitors to watch the sculptors at work during the competition period.

Liu Shih-ming, deputy director of the Northeast Coast & Yilan Coast National Scenic Area Administration under the Tourism Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications, said: “This year, we have invited sand sculpture masters from the United States, Canada, Japan, the Netherlands, Latvia, Singapore, Taiwan, and mainland China to compete. A total of 5,000 tons of fine sand will be used to create 44 sand sculptures, including 3 super-large sculptures, 18 medium-sized ones, and 23 small ones. Both the number and scale will break previous records (last year there were 41 sculptures using 4,500 tons of sand).”

One of the highly anticipated highlights of this year’s sand sculptures includes Jeremy Lin, who shines in the NBA, and Yani Tseng, who excels in international golf—both recently named among Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people—as well as Wang Chien-ming from Major League Baseball. This year will also feature giant sand sculptures depicting scenes from fairy tales and blockbuster movies such as “Shrek,” “Batman vs. Spider-Man,” “The Hulk,” and “Fantastic Four,” created by teams from the United States and Canada. Each of these massive pieces stands 6.5 meters tall and 16 meters wide. Taiwan’s theme is “Dragons Coiling Around Fulong,” featuring sculptures such as “Dragon Boat Racing,” “Longshan Temple,” “Guanyin Riding a Dragon,” “Dragon Giving Birth to a Noble Son,” and “Rocking Dragon.” Japan will present works including dinosaurs from the movie Jurassic Park.

During the event, there will be DIY sand sculpture workshops every weekend. Visitors who purchase the “Taiwan Tourist Sand Sculpture Festival Ticket Package” can enjoy a discounted price of NT$350, which includes a one-day bus pass, round-trip train tickets on the Taiwan Railways, admission to Fulong Beach, a Fulong lunchbox, and the Golden Fulong Line passport. For more details, please call 02-2499-1210 ext. 228 or visit the official website at www.necoast-nsa.gov.tw.

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