Forty-four years after civil rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous "I have a dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., 53-year-old Lei Yixin has been chosen to take the lead in a project giving shape to the great soul in granite.

The selection of the sculptor from Changsha, capital of Hunan Province, to cast the "Stone of Hope," has generated a lot of excitement.

The nine-meter King statue will stand arms folded and his head tilted slightly to the right on the National Mall, facing the Jefferson Memorial. Lei's initial design shows the great reformer and civil rights icon holding a pen in his left hand. 

Lei told China Daily that he would focus on the unyielding spirit of King, who was assassinated in 1968. He will soon begin work on the sculpture, and hopes to complete it within 14 months.

Over the past year, Lei has been reading extensively about King, listening to his speeches and watching his videos, and feels confident he will be up to the task of exhibiting King's spiritual power. The sculptor shares King's ideals, inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, especially his belief in non-violence and perseverance in the face of pressure.

"I have suffered myself, so I know what suffering is," Lei said. "Though I was not tortured as much as the African-Americans, I can understand how they felt, and I adore the hero who fought for the equal rights of all people."

The son of an engineer and a schoolteacher, Lei was one of the many youths sent to the countryside for re-education during the Cultural Revolution (1966-76), where he tilled the land in a mountainous region of Hunan for eight years.

Lei returned to mainstream education when the national college entrance exam was revived in 1977, and enrolled at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts.

Lei joined an art school in Changsha after his graduation in 1982, but his passion has always been sculpting. He used to create giant sculptures of famous figures such as Chairman Mao Zedong and master artist Qi Baishi. Today, Lei is the president of the Hunan Institute of Sculpting.

The sculptor is known both for his realistic depiction and uncanny ability to demonstrate the spirit of a character, said Zhu Xunde, chairman of the Hunan Association of Artists.

Lei was recommended to the King Memorial Foundation by people from a dozen African, American, and European countries, with whom he participated in a workshop in Saint Paul, Minnesota, US.

Though many have welcomed his appointment by King Memorial Foundation, others have reservations.

Lei was promoted last month to replace Ed Dwight, an African-American artist who had been in charge until he complained about Mr Lei's amendments to the design. Dwight claims Lei was promoted to attract a US$25 million investment from the Chinese government. The foundation has denied this allegation.

A spokeswoman for the King memorial foundation told the Los Angeles Times that the decision to select Lei was based solely "on his artistic ability and experience carving large-scale granite projects. We did not select a sculptor based on politics, country of origin, or financial incentives."

The Guardian has quoted Gilbert Young, a black artist in King's hometown of Atlanta, as saying that it was a "slap in the face" to African-Americans to ask a Chinese man to sculpt "the centerpiece of the most important African-American monument, in recognition of the most important African-American movement in the history of the United States."

"We as African-Americans have a right to depict the life and legacy of one of our most beloved leaders as we saw him," he added.

Lei responded by saying, "I recited King's 'I have a dream' speech in college like many other Chinese students. I remember him saying we are all brothers and sisters."

Sherry Smith, 27, is an African-American but she doesn't support the criticism of Lei's appointment. Smith said King advocated fraternity among people of all races and colors. "I don't see a problem with it (Lei's appointment). I do understand why some people would want a black artist to do that but a Chinese artist would be just as good."

Lei is not the only sculptor for the project. After Dwight left, the foundation brought in two Americans, Jon Lockhart and Ed Hamilton, to oversee Lei's work.

The memorial will cost an estimated US$100 million to build on 4 acres of Washington's Tidal Basin between the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials. It is expected to be completed in 2008 or 2009 and was authorized by legislation President Clinton signed in 1996. To date, the foundation has raised about US$79 million, and a fundraising concert will be held in New York in September to help raise the rest.

(China Daily, China.org.cn July 26, 2007)