Chinese blogger Fan Sumu has created a 60kg chocolate version of the ancient painting 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival'. The intricate 3D miniature, measuring 7 meters in length and 1.22 meters in width, features 176 houses, 281 trees, over 20 boats, and 816 human figures. Fan, who has no formal art education, learned everything online. Her video, posted in late May, quickly garnered nearly 10 million likes.
The original painting, by Northern Song dynasty artist Zhang Zeduan, depicts the vibrant city of Bianjing along the Bian River. Fan's chocolate rendition includes meticulous details, with each human figure standing just 2 centimeters tall and the smallest window less than 1 centimeter. The artwork was created using melted chocolate piped through bags, forming hair-thin strands.
Fan faced numerous challenges during the three-month project. Initially working in her living room, she eventually had to rent a larger house 25 kilometers away. Despite parts of the artwork breaking during the move, she persisted. This isn't Fan's first chocolate creation; she has previously made versions of Beijing's 'Hall of Supreme Harmony', Paris's 'Eiffel Tower', and the 'Mona Lisa'. She dreams of spreading traditional Chinese architecture worldwide through chocolate. Netizens suggest her work could claim a Guinness World Record.
