Whatever you do, don't look down! This amazing piece of street art has been officially recognised as the world's largest (but it's definitely not for those with vertigo)


A group of people balance perilously on a tightrope that hangs loosely across a huge ravine sandwiched by two huge waterfalls.

But nothing is what it seems in these remarkable pictures which take pavement art to a whole new level.

The people posing for pictures haven't taken their lives into their own hands by embarking on a daredevil stunt - they are actually standing on what has become the world's largest piece of street art.

Don't look down: Chinese street artist Qi Xinghua's huge 3D painting, which is called 'Lions Gate Gorge', has set a new Guinness World Record

Creative: Artist Qi Xinghua proudly stands on his huge 3D painting at the Guangzhou Baiyan Wanda Plaza in Guangzhou, China. His work has officially been recognised as the world's largest 3D picture

Breathtaking: An early sketch by Chinese artist Qi Xinghua which shows in intricate detail the painstaking lengths he went to in creating the world's largest 3D painting

Tall order: Chinese artist Qi Xinghua works on his 3D painting in a shopping mall in China. The picture measures 23m wide and 32m long and is more than 6m high

Chinese artist Qi Xinghua's huge 3D painting, which is called 'Lions Gate Gorge', has set a new Guinness World Record - beating his previous record by some distance.

The artist created the world's largest 3D picture in a square in front of a shopping mall in Guangzhou Baiyan Wanda Plaza in Guangzhou, China.

His breathtaking creation, which would surely make a trip to the mall a more enjoyable experience for even the most seasoned of shopper, measures a staggering 23m wide and 32m long on the ground, while the wall it utilises is more than 6m high.



After being certified by Guinness World Record officials it was proudly named the largest 3D painting in the world.

The huge image was painstakingly created by Qi Xinghua, a master from the China Central Academy of Fine Arts, who said it took him a month to complete.

The painting is so lifelike that passers-by said they felt dizzy while standing on the 'ropes' in the picture, which are strung across a huge, gaping hole.

Of course, it is all an illusion.



Qi Xinghua used a technique popularised by American street artist Kurt Wenner, a former Nasa illustrator who began street painting in Rome in 1982, inspired by Renaissance frescos and sculptures.

Anamorphic art - the technique used by classical artists to create the illusion of height - gives a perception of depth to the street surface and has become an increasingly popular artform around the world.

One of Wenner's first commissions was a piece to honour the visit of Pope John Paul II to the Italian city of Mantua and he tends to concentrate on classical myths and legends - other works have included Neptune's revenge and the love story of Echo and Narcissus.

He has even exhibited his art for commuters at London's Waterloo Station.

A spokesman for Guinness World Records said: 'The painting, entitled Lions Gate Gorge, measured 892.15m² setting a new Guinness World Records title for the world’s largest anamorphic painting.