At the age of 60, Hu Zhijun never expected to become an artist. "I'm just a peasant,'' said the now 64-year-old sculptor with greying hair and gentle eyes, while standing in front of his creation entitled Sculpting Contemporary Chinese Art History. The work, consisting of 600-odd clay sculptures displayed on sand-covered terraced mounds, towered more than two metres behind him. Arranged in long rows, Hu's miniature clay people, animals and structures depict everyday scenes of mining, cooking, farming, singing and playing. Hu began sculpting out of grief. His wife's death left him with "hands full of angst". Sculpting - working with the earth as he had done for so many years as a farmer -...
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