Rio gets Chinese sculpture as tribute to football

The the city hall of Beijing, China, has honored the city of Rio de Janeiro with a sculpture depicting a football duel between the sports legend Pelé and Chinese Emperor Han Wu, a Silk Road pioneer. The oldest records of a football-like game date from the 220 to 206 centuries CE, during the Wu dynasty.

The gift comes as part of the celebrations of the 30th anniversary of Rio-Beijing ties as sister cities. Entitled Jogo de Futebol da Amizade China Brasil (“China and Brazil's Football Match of Friendship”), the work of art is 2.45 meters tall and weighs some 1.5 tons. It was placed on the main thoroughfare leading to the Olympic Park, in the Barra da Tijuca district.

The route

The Silk Road was a network of interconnected roads in Southern Asia used mainly as a route for the silk trade between Europe and the East. The fabric was transported by caravans and oceanic vessels, which forged closed commercial ties between the two continents.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira