Golden bridge reflects Silk Road glory

Silk and gold - two of the ancient links between China and the West now literally form a bridge between the two cultures.

The new bridge built by Chinese is scheduled to be opened on Sept. 28 at Milan's Expo site, representing modern Chinese art.

Designed by artist Shu Yong, the new bridge is based on the Zhaozhou Bridge, which was built over 1,400 years ago in north China and is still in use.

The giant sculpture is 28 meters long and made of 20,000 golden bricks the same size as those used to make the Great Wall.

The gold color comes from artificial amber that enables people to see inside each brick, revealing flowers from hundreds of sites along the land and maritime Silk Road.

They are not real flowers, but made of silk - partly explaining the title "Silk-Road on Golden Bridge". This was derived from the ancient Silk Road and China's "Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road" initiative, said Shu.

The Silk Road represents ancient China's prosperity and wisdom, which inspired him to build a cultural bridge between East and West, as well as a gesture of friendship.

The 41-year-old artist, who works in Western and Chinese styles in oils, watercolors, sculpture, installation and performance art, has created many works that manifest the development of Chinese society.

He made a name for himself in 2009 with a sculpture named Life Flower made of the ashes of earthquake victims to raise awareness of the area stricken by China's devastating 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. He was the first Asian artist to win the Lifetime Achievement Award for Arts on Florence Biennale.

The Belt and Road initiative was proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013 as a trade and infrastructure network. It will connect Asia to Europe and Africa through the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, and is aimed at improving infrastructure, financial cooperation and cultural exchanges.

Shu said his work delivers cultural and diplomatic messages to the world.

Since June 6, when the "Golden Bridge" was selected to be displayed on Milan Expo, Shu has invited hundreds of Chinese and foreign figures from politics, art, and economics circles to sign their names on the bricks, sharing the best wishes behind it.

Signatory and Azerbaijan Ambassador Latif Gandilov praised the "Golden Bridge" for promoting China's call for peace and the Belt and Road Initiative.

Shu's works have frequently featured at international events. At the 2010 Shanghai Expo, Shu presented "China Kung Fu", a huge square of 50 Bruce Lee-shaped red sculptures, each kicking a model of a world-famous landmark building, such as the Forbidden City, Eiffel Tower, and the British Museum.

In 2013, Shu built a wall named Google Bricks, made of 1,500 resin bricks. He printed 1,500 popular Chinese web phrases along with their English translations by Google on each brick to illustrate misunderstanding between Chinese and Western cultures.

"There are many cultural barriers, so I think the world still needs a bridge to link different civilizations," says Shu. Endi