Completed in 2001, Friends Come from Afar was installed in the square in front of Anshan Railway Station, Liaoning Province. The public sculpture group consists of a monumental abstract structure and more than ten life-size bronze figures.
The main sculpture is formed by sweeping, interwoven ribbons of colored stainless steel. Its structure draws on the Chinese character “朋,” meaning “friend.” The open arches and flowing curves create a sense of movement, encounter, and connection.
The title is taken from a well-known passage in The Analects: “Is it not a pleasure to have friends coming from afar?” Here, the character “朋” becomes both a visual symbol and an expression of welcome.
Around the main sculpture, bronze figures of different ages are shown walking, waiting, talking, and arriving with luggage. Their natural gestures evoke the everyday movement of passengers and visitors through the railway-station square.
By combining an abstract civic symbol with realistic figures from daily life, the work transforms the square from a place of transit into a public scene of arrival, meeting, and welcome.
《有朋自远方来》创作于2001年，坐落于辽宁省鞍山火车站站前广场，由大型抽象主雕与十余尊等身青铜人物共同构成。
主雕塑采用彩色不锈钢曲面与带状结构，造型从汉字“朋”的形态与含义中获得启发。相互穿插的拱形与流动曲线，形成开放、往来与连接的空间关系。
作品题目取自《论语》“有朋自远方来，不亦乐乎”。“朋”在这里既是主雕塑的视觉来源，也是城市迎接远方来客的象征。
主雕周围设置不同年龄与身份的写实人物，包括行走的旅客、等候的人群、携带行李的游客、老人和儿童。人物姿态自然，与广场中的真实行人相互交融，呈现火车站日常的人流与生活气息。
作品将抽象的城市文化符号与写实的公共生活场景结合，使站前广场不只是交通转换空间，也成为关于抵达、相遇与欢迎的城市公共场所。