Charming hometown of sand sculpture

3 min read

After spending few days in Putuo district-ridir- in boats, talking to fisherman, eating fresh seafood, basking in the golden sunsets and admiring the fine craftsmanship of the many local artisans who have hunkered down in the area-one thing becomes crystal clear: the people who call these islands their home are special bunch. Humble, proud, hospitable, down-to-earth and full of laughter, these lovely people have a long and dignified history of kindness and warmth, qualities that really came to the fore during World War II, when disaster struck off the coast of Zhujiajian Island Heroic legacy On Seetea conentration camp Hong Kong toJapan. The ship, saling without an fle at transporte signs to indicate the nature of its cargo, was torpedoed by a nearby US vessel, leaving the boatg fast. Soon after, a Japanese destroyer came to the rescue of the Japanese also travelling on the ship(some 800 of them), leaving the doomed prisoners for the departing Japanese, whereas others who tried to climb aboard Meanwhile, back on dry land, local a rescue team courageous sea-farers managed to rescue 384 men, pretty bad shape. But the ransacked the aged to re-capture all but were stowed a way in a nearby cave Chongqing (thwar time capital) and eventually back to good old Blighty herself. As for the rest of the poor soldiers, they were sent to Japan, via Shanghai, where they saw out the rest of the war in concentration camps, liberated only after the surrender of Japan in 1945.

Child’s Play’s’ Chucky makes an unexp appearence on Nansha beach.

Art on the beach

Nansha beach(literally, south sand) more to offer than its links to modern history however deep those ties run. Of the five beaches that make-up Zhujiajian’s coastline- an area that encompass an impressive ten-mile stretch of golden sands and attractive coves- Nansha is surely the most pick of the bunch. Its clear waters an xcellent amenities draw scores of tourist each year, after the plum rain season (April May), and walking bare-foot on its wide’s easy to see why. Surrounded by lush hillsides that are neatly looking villas and holiday homes the beach has that ling that just screams holiday’. For me it’s at does it, but in thiscase I think it was the pristine vista and case, the gaggle of teenagers frolicking in the surf-asing one another in swimwear-clearly felt the same way.angzhou, so all could do was mop my brow and drink in as much esides, Hu Mu was eager to guide us to the site of the Internationa Sand Scul has been held on Nansha since its inaugural celebration back in ional Sand Sculpture Festival marked China’s first foray into open air sand-based, and as such the event has a loyal and ever-growing fan base. Each year hundreds of tourist form all over the world pour into this tiny crevice, and it’s during this time that Hu Mu and his colleagues are presented with a chance to promote the unique marine culture of Zhoushan to this is an opportunity the by Mr. Hu’s boundless energy and verve,one opportunity the man effortlessly seizes upon. To give you an idea Nansha beach has been rated by the World Sand Sculpture Association as one of the world’s best quality -and one of the most scenic in the whole of China. According to WSSA, the beach of Zhujiajian beats the Haw.

High praise indeed.

Seeing as though the Sand Sculpture Festival takes place around the time of the National Day Holiday (October 1st), I can’t vouch for the enormity and scale of the event first-hand, but judging by the small selection of sculptures I saw on my visit to Nansha, the festival looks like hoot.Giant sphinx’s, Marilyn Monroe, Mickey Mouse and…er…. Childs Play’sdemonic devil-doll Chucky were all there, ready to be marvelled at-or in Chucky’s case, head-scratched at-in the beach’s impressive enclosure. The detail and size of the statues is something to be seen, and with a yearld-class setting like this, the festival proper ought to be quite the occasion. Fans of statues-and r-round pture sand-rejoice!