The ongoing 3rd Liu Kaiqu Award International Sculpture Exhibition features award-winning sculptures in a newly built park in Wuhu, Anhui province. Provided to China Daily

The giant rubber ducks that recently captivated citizens of Hong Kong and Beijing have ignited a new passion for public art. Now art enthusiasts hope the love will keep burning through other channels.

Sculpture, one of the major public art forms, is thriving thanks to China's rapid urban development, artists said at the recent opening ceremony of the 3rd Liu Kaiqu Award International Sculpture Exhibition in Wuhu city in Anhui province.

The exhibition runs year-round and is free to the public.

"As Chinese cities shift their focus from economy to culture, it means more opportunities for artists to involve in public art," says Wang Zhong, deputy director of the design school at China Central Academy of Fine Arts.

With a theme focused on culture and ecology, the ongoing exhibition showcases more than 100 pieces of sculpture that have won the Liu Kaiqu Award over the past three years. Liu Kaiqu was a pioneering Chinese sculptor and art educator in the 20th century.

The 210,000-square-meter sculpture park was previously wild mountains scattered with tombs. The municipal government spent more than 700 million yuan ($115 million) to remove the tombs to a new cemetery and transform the site into a public park. More than 3 million people have visited since 2011.

A total of 36 works won the award this year, including seven by international artists. They were selected from 2,118 pieces submitted by 506 artists from 43 countries.

The works were picked for their originality and innovation based on subjects, material and artistic forms, says Yin Shuangxi, member of the jury and a professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts.