Works of Wu Weishan, director of the National Art Museum of China, third from right, is shown at an exhibition hosted by the National Museum of China throughout June. [Photo by Jiang Dong/China Daily]

Throughout the decades, Wu Weishan, director of the National Art Museum of China, and a sculptor in his own right, has built a unique language of sculpture by introducing the Chinese artistic philosophy of xieyi (depicting spirit) into his work.

He has produced a portfolio of figurines portraying scientists, artists, intellectuals, revolutionary leaders and other luminaries of society, as well as ordinary people, which he sculpts while hailing the spirits of persistence, hard work and justice.

Sculpting the Souls, an exhibition being hosted by the National Museum of China throughout June, provides a retrospective of Wu's endeavors in sculpture by showing 179 works created over three decades.