Eight-legged red ceramic statue of Bruce Lee being erected in Foshan, China
A 30 metre tall sculpture of Bruce Lee is being erected in Foshan, a city in Guangdong province, China, which is considered as the home of Chinese Kung fu.
The red-painted ceramic statue depicts an eight-legged Bruce Lee, known as Li Xiaolong in Chinese. The sculpture will balance world-famous monuments on each foot including the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, Shanghai's Oriental Pearl Tower, and the Bird's Nest, or National Olympic Stadium, in Beijing. The towering sculpture resembles a stop-motion capture of Bruce Lee performing one of his explosive high kicks.
According to artist Shu Yong, the sculpture is expected to take a year to complete. It will be taken to the Guggenheim Museum in Manhattan in 2011 as part of a grand world tour. It is hoped that the sculpture will become a landmark on the scale of the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbour.
Artists further add that the Bruce Lee sculpture was designed to ‘help China communicate with the world on an artistic level.’ The sculpture also demonstrates how it is possible to use the least amount of resources during the act of construction. Foshan produces 25% of the world's construction ceramics, out of which 60% is used in China.
Various smaller sculptures of China's most iconic martial arts fighter are also in the process of completion. These will form the centrepiece of China Kung Fu Pavilion, Foshan Week, which opened on 17 August 2010 at the Shanghai World Expo 2010. Identical to the 30 metre sculpture of Bruce Lee, these sculptures will balance different monuments on their feet. These ceramic sculptures were constructed by 100 people in six months.
Situated in the ‘Pavilion of Future’ in the ‘Urban Best Practices Area’, the China Kung Fu Pavilion features kung fu elements and ceramic displays. It covers an area of 1,200 square metres and features 50 ceramic statues of Bruce Lee. The pavilion will be open to the public till 23 August 2010.
The Guangdong city of Foshan is known to the world as the hometown of the late martial artists Bruce Lee and Ip Man, as well as for its ceramics industry.
