Since the start of 2022, sand painting artist He Sudan has created sand paintings telling stories of the 24 solar terms (节气). Her works have caught people's eyes from home and abroad.
He, 34, was born into an artistic family in Hunan. She got into Wuhan University of Technology to study animation(动画) when she was
15. In her second year there, she took up sand painting. Back then, sand painting was not a subject, so she learned it by teaching herself. When she was 19, He got into the graduate school of Hainan University to study fine arts. After leaving university, He started traveling around the country putting on sand painting performances.
According to He, sand painting dates back to the Song Dynasty. From the idiom (成语)"Hua Di Jiao Zi", we can learn that sand painting has a long history in China. The idiom tells the story of the mother of Ouyang Xiu. Ouyang Xiuwas a famous poet in the Song Dynasty. When he was young, his mother taught him how to write and paint by using a stick to draw and write on the ground covered in sand.
Now He studies the application (应用) of AI in sand painting. These days, she uses a robot developed by her research team to help her in creating her sand paintings.
He wants to bring more people into the world of sand painting. "I think I've realized my dream of introducing sand painting to the world through my works, but I don't think I've done enough. In the future, I will create more sand paintings to spread traditional Chinese culture, " said He.