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Sculpture has not traditionally excited the masses. But recently, Nanjing has become home to a surprising cutting-edge collection that comprises 10 works of art on the theme of water and the Yangtze River in particular. And where else to put it but the banks of the River itself?
The lighthouse at the Fish Mouth Wetland Park has become somewhat of an internet celebrity during the past few years, in part for its colourful, novelty value, and in part as a focal point for a showcase of Yangtze River environmental-protection efforts.
Hence its environs make a suitable home for the collection of new sculptures, each one thought provoking and arresting in equal measure.
Star of the show is undoubtedly the 3D sculpture of the course of the Yangze River, all the way from its source in Sichuan Province to its estuary as it flows into the East China Sea.
Most striking of all is the 3D element to the sculpture which gives the viewer a sense of the River’s vertical descent, albeit not to scale in the slightest, from the mountains in China’s central western area, i.e. the northern flank of the Tibetan Plateau.
Grabbing more of the local headlines, however, is the work of a Yangtze River finless porpoise. Leaping from the ground as if from the river, the geometric nature of the work provides for a contrast with its smiling face and fins which appear to be waving a greeting at its human onlookers.
Elsewhere, the undertow of waves, winds blowing across the Yangtze and a giant satellite photograph of the River as it flows through the Nanjing area are among the remaining exhibits.
Back with the lighthouse, many are simply content to snap a selfie with the striped red and white icon and be on their way. They’re missing the treat that lies in wait within, though, particularly for those with an interest in all things maritime.
For therein is the Navigational Aids Cultural Museum, as Nanjing Cultural Tourism (南京文旅) has today revealed on its official WeChat account. Over five floors are displayed navigational aids from home and abroad, together with the history and function thereof.
Join it all together with a spiral staircase and a selection of water-transport memorabilia from the Nanjing region and you have a winner!
Admission is free to the Fish Mouth Wetland Park at 888 Yangtze River Avenue in Jianye District (建邺区扬子江大道888号). Access from the western termini of the Hexi Tram and Nanjing Metro Line 2.