Pedestrians walk past a sculpture of a man shooting a video in downtown Shanghai's Wujiang Road Mar.5. Shanghai plans to erect dozens of new sculptures across the city.

    BEIJING, Mar. 6 (Xinhuanet) -- Current layout is out of line with international status

    Shanghai is planning to place dozens of new sculptures throughout downtown and suburban areas, including some residential communities, before it hosts the 2010 World Exposition, an official said yesterday.

    Also, for the first time, the city invited a residential ballot, at the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall, to choose one of 38 candidate sculptures for the city's farthest southeastern coastal tip, "Nanhuizui," in Nanhui District.

    "Sculptures reflect culture. But the city's current layout of urban sculptures is not in parallel with its international position," Mao Jialiang, Shanghai Urban Planning Administrative Bureau director, said yesterday.

    He acknowledged Shanghai doesn't have enough sculptures, and many of the present examples are short of cultural significance.

    Qiao Qin, a renowned sculptor at the Beijing-based Tsinghua University, said it was difficult for him to think of a piece in Shanghai as impressive.

    "This is a pity for the city, as Shanghai boasts a profound history and a high public aesthetic taste," Qiao said.

    However, there are some good examples.

    "I like the sculpture of an ancient Chinese calculator on Pudong Boulevard. It is very striking and meaningful," said Toshio Shimizu, a Japanese curator. "However, unlike some European cities, Shanghai lacks an artistic aura that permeates every street corner."

    To improve the situation, Mao vowed to create a batch of "monument sculptures" over the next few years by collecting ideas experts, and residents, from home and abroad.

    "We will listen to residents' preference and build up relevant sculptures inside most of the city's residential areas ," he said, noting "awkward" sculptures will be removed.

    So far, the bureau has completed a preliminary planning of the city's urban sculptures through 2010 and will make an official announcement in mid-year when the plan is approved by the municipal government.

    In the tentative map, the city expects to build at least one representative urban sculpture in 10 "main areas" - such as Southern Railway Station and Shanghai International Circuit - and the city's 18 districts and Chongming County, respectively, over the next few years.

    This year, it plans to build two to three sculptures and start to construct the city's first Shanghai Sister-City Sculptures Park.

    The location of the park will be finalized by June.

    Once completed, it will include the symbolic sculptures of the city's 65-plus sister cities from 49-plus countries, officials said.

    The planned sculpture at the future Harbor City in Nanhui District is scheduled to be completed next year, officials said.

    The 38 candidate sculptures, including a huge "compass," were selected from 102 pieces from 63 international designers.

        (Shanghai Daily)