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A giant stone statue called "Ultraman Grotto" which was crafted by a man in China has captivated social media and triggered an official investigation.
The 2.8 metre-high sculpture has a head like the Japanese superhero Ultraman and a body that adopts a sitting Buddha gesture.
It is located on a cliff face in Anyue County of Sichuan province, in southwestern China, the news outlet Shangyou News reported.
He said he did all the work, from putting up the scaffold, carving the gigantic hole with an electric hammer and crafting the sculpture with professional tools.
Zhou learned his trade from a local craftsman during a one-month stint under him at the beginning of this year.
He then began his Ultraman project as he wanted to leave "some trails".
"Stone sculptures on cliff faces can be preserved for many years," Zhou was quoted as saying.
He said he chose the Ultraman model because it is "fun and interesting".
Zhou said before he began carving, he had checked with local officials who said they did not prohibit small-scale stone inscriptions.
But after his Ultraman statue went viral online, some internet users said he might have committed "cultural appropriation". Zhou said he was not aware of that issue.
He said that a terracotta figurine dating back to the 2,000-year-old Han dynasty (206 BC to 220 CE), which is displayed at the Nanchong Museum in Sichuan, bears a strong resemblance to Ultraman.
Zhou visited the museum and took pictures of the figurine from various angles before returning to fix his Ultraman sculpture based on the image of the ancient artwork.
"I have to dismantle Ultraman. I cannot carve Ultraman any more," Zhou said during a live-stream on June 22.
Now he says the head of his current sculpture is inspired by a Han dynasty pottery figurine, while the part below its head copies that of the famous Leshan Giant Buddha.
Editor: CH
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