Photo courtesy of Tourism Bureau

Taipei, April 11 (CNA) The 2018 Fulong International Sand Sculpture Arts Festival in New Taipei will kick off on April 21, featuring 76 sculptures by local and foreign artists, the organizers said Wednesday.

Wu Ching-fu (吳慶福) of the Northeast and Yilan Coast National Scenic Area administration said at a press conference that upside down and underground sculptures will be included this year for the first time.

According to Lee Ming-hsien (李明憲), creative director of the festival, the upside-down sculptures will be built on top of other sculptures shaped like cities, thereby creating a mirage effect.

The underground sculptures, meanwhile, will be about one meter below ground, Lee said.

This year's festival will run from April 21 to July 15 and will include several themed events, he said.

Before the actual start of the festival, a competition will be held on April 18, with 28 sand sculptors from the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, India, Russia, Portugal, Belgium, Italy, Togo, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea depicting their concept of a world of flowers, Lee said.

More detailed information about the festival is available at http://www.necoast-nsa.gov.tw

(By Wang Shu-feng and Kuan-lin Liu)
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