With the precious fleeting Spring weather coming to an end, the notorious heat of Nanjing is not so far away. Nothing says summer like sun, surf and of course, sand.
Hold that thought of planning a getaway from the “furnace city” to a faraway beach; a trip to a fantasy world made out of sand on the nearby island of Baguazhou (八卦洲) could do very nicely in the interim.
Just 4 km from the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge, Baguazhou is the third largest island in the Yangtze river with an area of approximately 55 square kilometres and now host to Nanjing’s first International Sand Sculpture Festival in its Desert Theme Park (沙漠风情园) from 9 April to 20 May.
Built over the last 10 years on 50 acres with sand hauled from the nearby Yangtze River, the Desert Theme Park is now home to a fabulous feast of fun. Entering the park you will be welcomed by a sculpture of the Monkey king. Keep walking and come to “Disney On Sand”, including its classic cartoon figures such as the Lion King, Bambi and Mulan, to the more recent Kungfu Panda. The park also features Chinese kids’ favourite cartoon, “Happy goat and Big big wolf”（喜羊羊与灰太狼), attracting many over-excited little ones for photo ops. Meanwhile, turn around and authentic fierce looking dinosaurs and undersea creatures will surely give you a fright, while in the centre lies the biggest sculpture of all, of the 12 Chinese zodiac signs.
15 award-winning sand sculpture artists spent 45 days turning the “desert” into a magic world. Zhang Yameng, a post-90s artist who followed in his uncle’s sand sculpting footprints said he enjoyed the whole experience very much. While his uncle Zhou Yonghui was good at sculpting real life characters, such as the 12 beauties in the classic Chinese novel “Dreams of the Red mansion”, Yameng was more into “the fun stuff”. His work “The Fox-and-Bunny Love” is a piece of fan-art from the recent Disney blockbuster Zootopia.
In the future, more artists from around the world will be invited to add increased diversity to the sand world, says manager Xu Huifeng. Visitors can also get creative themselves by making their own sand sculpture. Besides that, a wild go-kart race in the sand or a beach volleyball match also provide fun for families and friends on a Saturday or Sunday with a difference, while barbecue and camping services are also provided.
Like other places in Nanjing’s surrounding countryside, Baguazhou thrives on agricultural tourism. That means farm fun that includes strawberry picking and llama feeding; two llamas from south America arrived on the island earlier this week, while spectacular views of the Yangtze River also await.
Tickets for the Desert Theme Park cost ￥80 per person.
Transport: Take metro line 1 to Maigaoqiao station (迈皋桥). Then take bus 523 to Baguazhou town centre (小城镇). From there take bus 481 or hire a tuk-tuk directly to the gate of the Desert Theme Park. Alternatively, take a ferry from Yanziji to Baguazhou (燕子矶-八卦洲) for free.
