Visitors view the giant sculpture "Son of the Earth" in Guazhou county, Jiuquan, Gansu province. [Photo/xgs.newgscloud.com]

Fast asleep in the Gobi desert, the colossal baby statue in Guazhou county, Jiuquan, Northwest China's Gansu province, known as "Son of the Earth", is an awe-inspiring reminder of our connection to Mother Nature, and our duty to protect her.

The giant red sandstone sculpture - 15 meters long, 4.3 meters high and 9 meters wide - was created by Professor Dong Shubing of Tsinghua University in 2016. The work team made it in blocks with 3D scanning and 3D engraving technology before piecing them together.

The image of the sleeping baby has a strong visual impact with the flying sand and rocks of the vast Gobi Desert. It has become a new landmark along the Silk Road, attracting flocks of tourists from both inside and outside the province.

In addition, there are several other large-scale sculptures in the Guazhou Gobi International Sculpture Art Gallery. They have strung together a dazzling cultural landscape and becomes a new business card for cultural tourism in Guazhou.

Statistics show that the art gallery received a total of 375,000 tourists from January to May, with an average daily tourist reception of more than 2,500.

In recent years, Guazhou has spared no efforts to integrate the characteristic tourism resource of its desert customs, with its ancient city grottoes, outdoor hiking, and Silk Road research. In 2020, the county made itself a provincial-level all-for-one tourism demonstration area.