Anren County is known as the “City of Animal Sculpture in China”. The rice sculpture culture, which has been passed down for thousands of years, has nurtured many art masters such as Zhou Qingding, the founder and artist of animal sculpture in the world, and Zhou Guozhen, a ceramic master. Art talents from Anren engaged in stone carving, wood carving, and jade carving can also be seen across the country. The Yuanxiao Rice Sculpture Contest has been held for many consecutive years, which has influenced the primary and middle school students in the whole county. It is a common practice for the county to respect and learn sculpture art. 

 

The Animal Sculpture Competition has been held for two consecutive years. It received strong support from the China Arts and Crafts Association, China Artists Association, China Academy of Art, China Sculptors Association, and Hunan Artists Association. More than 600 animal sculpture enthusiasts from across the country participated in it. 

 

At present, there are Zhou Qingding and Zhou Guozhen Art Museums in the county.

 

It is reported that the third “Qingding” Animal Sculpture Competition aims to provide a platform for sculpture artists and enthusiasts to showcase their talents and exchange skills, further promoting the prosperity and development of animal sculpture art. The competition is divided into on-site production and collection of works. The collection period for works is from February 20 to March 15.

 

Participants can register and follow the progress of the competition through the "Culture and Tourism Anren" public platform. They can participate with existing works or bring their works to register on the site. The on-site competition for the clay sculpture part will be held at 9:20 am on March 3, and the final and award evaluation will be held on March 18.

 

Well-known animal sculpture masters, ceramic artists, and renowned arts and crafts masters in the country will be invited to serve as judges for the semi-finals and finals of this competition. Gold, silver, bronze, and excellent awards will be awarded. The award ceremony for the winning works will be held at the opening ceremony of the Anren Market-day.

 

Chinese source: hunantoday