Many pieces of sculptures now decorate the streets of Dalian in northeast China's Liaoning Province, adding lustre and beauty to the winter days in the coastal city.

Huge ants, astronauts and jazz bands line the streets, and together with the piglets, oxen, and giraffes on the lawns, they have brought more vigor to the cold and quiet city.

A group of sculptures on the "Rhythm Of The Sea" Square with five huge steel dragons at the bottom, each 19.99 meters long and 9.19 meters high, and seagulls and fifty balls at the top, have attracted streams of visitors and residents.

The city has set up many a sculpture since the first one, "Six Tigers," was put up in 1990, and they are adding a cultural atmosphere to the city. Many of the sculptors have begun making their art with scrap iron and steel to remind people of environmental protection.

Dalian has long been known as a tidy and beautiful coastal city.