Salt of the earth

The exhibition hall is designed to resemble the interior of yaodong, or cave houses, a unique style of dwelling in northwestern China, and some of the sculptures are displayed on piles of sand and gravel to remind people of the windy, dry climate of the Loess Plateau.

Works on show include an "earthen courtyard" series Liu sculpted to convey his interest in the everyday routines of the people living in the enclosed, rectangular courtyards he saw along the Yellow River regions, including the distinctive dikengyuan-or "sunken courtyards"-that are dug below ground level.

The "ferryboat" series is another highlight from Liu's oeuvre that is on show. He depicted boatmen hard at work and a lively scene of passengers traveling with their heavy loads and livestock, through which he conveyed good wishes for these people.

Cao Qinghui, the exhibition's curator, says Liu's work embodies a humanistic spirit, and shows he valued mutual respect among people, and among humans, animals and nature, as well as a need to love and be loved.

Fan Di'an, principal of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, says that within Liu's body of work, the sculptures that depict the work and lives of everyday folk possess an intellectual seriousness in modeling and an academic tradition to present the spiritual nature of the subjects.