Artist creates Olympic sculpture for all seasons

"When we got the news in July 2020 that the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee had called for submissions of public sculptures for the Winter Olympics and Paralympics from around the world, we decided to try to qualify," he said. "We spent several months designing the sculpture and at the beginning of 2021 we received notification that our work had been selected from among 1,600 designs."

The idea came from the couple's 5-year-old daughter, he said.

"In the winter of 2005, when we were making a snowman outside, she asked me if we could keep the snowman until spring and summer because she wanted it to enjoy flowers and rain," Liu said. "We all knew that was an innocent thought of a child, but I also felt it was a pity that the beautiful ice and snow sculptures couldn't be kept permanently. The Snow Kids became a perfect combination when we finished the design, as it also helped my daughter fulfill her childhood dream."