Artist realizes lifelong dream of building the Chinese

Sun Shiqian, an artist from the Central Academy of Fine Arts, has created China's first drivable mecha, the Great Sage, or Monkey King, in 2017, that people can enter into and maneuver the 8-ton machinery.

An artist from the Central Academy of Fine Arts has finally realized his lifelong pursuit to build a 19.21-meter-long Chinese-style mecha dragon in seven years. His series of mecha soldiers, including one featuring China's most popular traditional anime character, the Monkey King, has been dubbed by netizens as the Chinese Transformers.

Sun Shiqian owns an art studio for creating mecha works - giant robots or machines typically depicted as humanoid walking vehicles. To make mecha, he crossed over into sculpture, mechanics, and programming and launched the country's first drivable mecha, the Great Sage, or Monkey King, in 2017, that people can enter into and maneuver the 8-ton machinery.

From 2014 to 2021, he spent seven years building a 19.21-meter-long mecha dragon to commemorate the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China.

Sun said that he has a strong feeling of destiny, a high calling that guides him to incorporate Chinese elements into the creation of modern arts that will amaze the world.

Global Times