Hello Steem Blockchain!
You know what? This blog post is about to kick ass.
I found this wax museum as I was travelling in the Chinese city of Dalian in Liaoning province.
I didn't even know such a place would exist in this city. It was definitely a sweet find and I owe it all to Lillian. The outside of the museum looks really enthralling and inviting. I was eager to see what was inside this place.
The museum is organized into different sections. One section is responsible for world leaders. You could see hand made sculptures made of wax depicting all sorts of people. I didn't know what to expect as I walked in because I was concerned that the wax sculptures would be poorly made but I was definitely proven wrong (for most of them).
World Leaders
When we walked in, we first saw depictions of Chinese leaders. The first one was the one and only Chairman Mao Zedong.
Not bad, eh? With his army, he was able to establish the People's Republic of China. The country embraced communist values and sought to rebuild the country according to his vision. It was at this point that China was pretty much closed off from the rest of the world.
Following his death in 1976, Deng Xiao Ping became the backbone of China's economic reform. Thanks to him, China opened it's doors to foreign countries to do business.
This change essentially revolutionized China's economy and allowed for an huge influx of foreign investment to power this country. A country that was previously impoverished was now able to acquire new money. This transformed the lives of many people in this country.
Another popular politician was Jiang Ze Min. Most noted for his ability to continue the economic reforms set by Deng Xiao Ping and peacefully reacquire Hong Kong from British ruling.
Tung Chee-hwa (left), the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, shaking hands with Jiang Ze Min (right) upon Hong Kong's transfer of sovereignty to China.
The world has seen it's handful of people that revolutionize the world (for good or evil). You feel a certain kind of energy when you are standing in front of a realistic sculpture that depicts people that made massive changes in a country or the world. Their piercing stare makes you feel like their essence is still present in this museum.
But this wasn't only Chinese leaders. They had leaders from all over the globe. Abraham Lincoln was sitting relaxed at the entrance of the world leaders' section. As you continue to browse around, you notice other powerful people in the same room as him.
Richard Nixon, the 37th President of the United States of America.
Bill Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States of America.
They didn't only have old leaders. Some of these wax sculptures are of people that are still living and in power to this day!
Did you guys see that? Let me show you again!
These guys actually made one of Trump. Hahaha. To be honest, I'd say this is one of their weakest ones. His face and the shape of his head looks off.
Since we're on the topic, I'd say the one of Hitler was the most sub-par sculpture in this museum!
One last thing I'd like to mention about the world leaders' section. The following picture is of Emperor Qin, the 1st emperor of China. He was the founder of the Qin dynasty and if you don't know, I live in a city called Qinhuangdao. Essentially, my city was named after him. Qinhuangdao basically translates to "Emperor Qin's Island."
And one of the founding fathers of Communism is Fredrich Engels. He collaborated with Karl Marx to write Marxist Theory.
Art & Science
The next section I walked into featured several figures of art & science! What I immediately noticed were the sculptures depicting Thomas Edison and Isaac Newton!
I can't help but feel moved when I see such influential people of our time. A part of me feels like they were geniuses and wonders how one person could have such an impact on the world. At the same time, you also see that they were only human. Many of the suffered for years on end but died with a legacy that lasted centuries.
How is it that something as simple as an apple falling from a tree could be the catalyst to discovering one of the most astonishing laws of physics while other people in this world can't get themselves out of a wet paper bag?
My goofy ass pretending to be an astronaut
The value of art is completely subjective. Often times, art becomes more valuable when the artist has passed away. It's a language of its own. I think platforms like Steem are changing the way we interact and pay people for their work. Most artists lived a life void of financial wealth. Nowadays, there are so many ways to monetize your artwork. A person like Picasso is extremely rare because most people never get recognition for the years they spent dedicated to their craft.
Bill Gates & Jack Ma
I think most of us know about Bill Gates and his life. We know that he is one of the richest people in the world. He is the founder of Microsoft.
But the same way we think of Bill Gates when we think about wealth, the Chinese think about 马云 (Ma Yun; aka Jack Ma)
This guy is pretty impressive as well. According to Wikipedia, his net worth amounts to $42.4 billion. He is the cofounder and chairmain of Alibaba Group. Alibaba is what allowed Chinese factories to do business with outside countries for years. This platform essentially acts like a Google for the manufacturing industry so that people that want to get products made in China can go through Alibaba to find a suitable factory and pay for their goods from there. Alibaba is a giant and made Jack Ma one of the most powerful people in the world.
He wasn't always this way though. He was born in the city of Hangzhou and lived his early years poor and struggling to get by. His job in the past was as a tour guide but he always seem to have a passion to improve himself. One of the greatest displays of entrepreneurship the world has seen!
Sports
Ronaldo & David Beckham
Yao Ming & Kobe Bryant
Fiction
Aladdin
The above picture depicts 2 characters from a famous classical novel written in the Qing Dynasty known as Dream of the Red Chamber. The plot summary, according to Wikipedia is as follows:
The novel provides a detailed, episodic record of life in the two branches of the wealthy, aristocratic Jia (賈) clan—the Rongguo House (榮國府) and the Ningguo House (寧國府)—who reside in two large, adjacent family compounds in the capital. Their ancestors were made Dukes and given imperial titles, and as the novel begins the two houses are among the most illustrious families in the city. One of the clan's offspring is made a Royal Consort, and a lush landscaped garden is built to receive her visit. The novel describes the Jias' wealth and influence in great naturalistic detail, and charts the Jias' fall from the height of their prestige, following some thirty main characters and over four hundred minor ones. Eventually the Jia clan falls into disfavor with the Emperor, and their mansions are raided and confiscated.
In the novel's frame story, a sentient Stone, abandoned by the goddess Nüwa when she mended the heavens aeons ago, begs a Taoist priest and a Buddhist monk to bring it with them to see the world. The Stone, along with a companion (in Cheng-Gao versions they are merged into the same character), is then given a chance to learn from the human existence, and enters the mortal realm.
The main character of the novel is the carefree adolescent male heir of the family, Jia Baoyu. He was born with a magical piece of "jade" in his mouth. In this life he has a special bond with his sickly cousin Lin Daiyu, who shares his love of music and poetry. Baoyu, however, is predestined to marry another cousin, Xue Baochai, whose grace and intelligence exemplify an ideal woman, but with whom he lacks an emotional connection. The romantic rivalry and friendship among the three characters against the backdrop of the family's declining fortunes form the main story in the novel.[17]
Celebrities
Jack & Rose from Titanic
Brad Pitt, Will Smith and Rihanna
The Hulk & Iron Man
Sitting with characters from a famous Chinese comedy show
And that about wraps up this post! I had a great time at this wax museum. It is so cool that I randomly discovered this place because it made the experience that more interesting. Hope you were entertained by this blog post; I sure put a lot of effort into it!
Thanks for reading!
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