Summary：A Chinese artist dedicated a handcrafted sculpture to Illinois State government on Wednesday, in a bid to pay tribute to the Chinese railroad builders of the U.S. rail system.

A Chinese artist dedicated a handcrafted sculpture to Illinois State

government on Wednesday, in a bid to pay tribute to the Chinese railroad

builders of the U.S. rail system.

The sculpture, named as "Pioneer of Railroad Construction" by its creator Yuan

Xikun, depicts three generations of Chinese railroad builders.

The state museum of Illinois will collect the sculpture as a permanent

collection.

The sculpture serves as a symbol of increasingly interconnected relationship

between China and the United States, Illinois State Governor Pat Quinn said.

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Pacific Railway Act,

authorizing the building of the first transcontinental railroad across the

United States. Over 10,000 Chinese men contributed to the construction.