The "2012 Fulong Sand Sculpture Festival" will be held from May 5 to June 24 at Fulong Beach, says Hsu Cheng-long, director of the Northeast and Yilan Coast National Scenic Area Administration announced that.

Leading sand sculptors from the United States, Canada, Japan, the Netherlands, Latvia, Singapore, Taiwan and mainland China have been invited to compete at the festival, ensuring a feast for the eyes. U.S. and Canadian sand artists will create giant "fairy-tale world" and "Universal Studios" sand sculptures based on Shrek, Batman vs Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, Fantastic Four, and other movie themes. "Coiling Dragon in Fulong" is the theme of the Taiwan team's sculptures, which will draw on the subjects of "Dragon Boating," "Longshan Temple," "Guanyin Riding a Dragon," "龍生貴子," and "Rock and Roll Dragon." Artists from Japan will present a dinosaur sculpture based on the movie "Jurassic Park." Through May 4, sand sculptors competed at an international sand sculpture invitational arranged as a warm-up to the main event. Sand sculpture classes will be offered on weekends during the festival period.

Visitors can also enjoy the beauty of the Northeast and Yilan Coast National Scenic Area on the "Tour Taiwan Shuttle: Golden Fulong Route." The tour includes stops at major scenic sites: Bitou and Longdong Bay Geology Park, the golden beaches of the Fulong resort area, and the Old Caoling Trail Circle-Line Bikeway. This tour enjoyed the highest satisfaction rate among Tour Taiwan Shuttle routes last year (2011). Building on this success, the Northeast and Yilan Coast National Scenic Area Administration decided to continue issuing the "Tour Taiwan Shuttle: Gold Fulong Route Tourism Passport" as well as plan the "Tour Taiwan Shuttle: Northeast Coast and Yilan Area Package Tour" and "Tour Taiwan Shuttle: Golden Fulong Music Route."