Yuan Xikun

Place: Kunming

Born: 1944

Biography:

Yuan Xikun (born 1944 in Kunming, Yunnan Province) is a Chinese visual artist and environmental activist. In 2011, Yuan proposed building a giant sculpture composed of sand collected from five of Earth's continents and water from its Arctic and Antarctic regions to draw attention to ozone depletion and climate change. Yuan served on the Standing Committee of the All-China Youth Federation and was a member of the 11th Standing Committee of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Yuan serves as the honorary president of the Sino-American Friendship Association. He has received several awards, including Top Philanthropist & Cultural Award (2006), UNEP Patron for the Arts Environment (2010), May Day Labor Honor Medal (2011), and Order of Merit, 3rd class (Ukraine, 2008). Yuan Xikun is also known for creating the Monument to Nizami Ganjavi in Beijing, a medieval Persian poet. He has been involved in various art projects and exhibitions throughout his career.