A giant stone statue called “Ultraman Cave” created by a Chinese artist has attracted strong attention on social media in China, forcing local authorities to investigate.
The 2.8-meter-tall sculpture, whose head resembles the famous Japanese superhero Ultraman, while its body is in a meditative pose like a Buddha statue, was carved into a cliff in An Yue County, Sichuan Province (in southwestern China).
In early June, an artist surnamed Zhou posted a video introducing the work on social media. According to the content of the video, the male artist revealed that it took 2 months to complete the work, costing a total of about 3,000 yuan (more than 10 million VND).
Chu said he did all the work himself, from setting up the scaffolding, using an electric drill to chisel the rock wall, to shaping the statue with professional tools.
According to this person, earlier this year, he learned the craft from a local artisan for a month. After that, Chu started working on the “Ultraman statue project” with the desire to leave his personal mark.
“Stone carvings on cliffs can last for hundreds of years. I wanted to choose the electric superhero model because it is interesting and funny,” Chu said.
Before starting the work, the man consulted the local authorities. He received the answer that the local authorities do not prohibit small-scale stone carving activities.
However, after the statue went viral online, some people accused the person of possibly violating the law of “cultural appropriation”.
In response to the accusation, Chu said he had never heard of the concept. Chu had once referred to a terracotta statue dating back more than 2,000 years from the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD). The work is currently on display at the Nanchang Museum (Sichuan), and has many similarities to the image of Ultraman.
After visiting the museum, Chu took photos of the statue from many angles and based on them, recreated and edited his mountain sculpture.
"I had to remove the head of the statue and could no longer sculpt the electric superhero," Chu said during a live broadcast for viewers on June 22.
The head of the statue was remade by Chu in the style of Han Dynasty ceramics. The body of the statue was inspired by the famous Leshan Giant Buddha in Sichuan province.
In response to strong public reactions, the Department of Culture and Tourism of An Nhac district is investigating whether Chu's carving on the cliff violated the law.
Ultraman is the main character in a Japanese science fiction series that is very popular with boys in China.
Anyue County has long been known as the hometown of stone carving in China.
There are about 100,000 stone statues here that were crafted during the Tang Dynasty (618–907) and Song Dynasty (960–1276). Over the years, this locality has become a popular tourist destination, especially for those who love to explore.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/tranh-cai-buc-tuong-co-phan-than-nhu-tuong-phat-phan-dau-giong-sieu-nhan-20250703125231591.htm
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