Rebirth in the arms of Christ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

When the Atlantic breeze blows over Sugarloaf Mountain, a suspended figure always appears in the morning mist of Rio de Janeiro. This city favored by God holds up the world's largest religious sculpture, the Statue of Christ the Redeemer, on a cliff 710 meters above sea level. It allows the miracles of the mechanical age to collide with the primitive rainforest to create a civilization totem that shocked the world. Beyond the carnival of football and samba, Rio is using another divine narrative to tell the world how humans measure the height of faith with steel and concrete. A modern miracle on the cliff In 1921, during the centennial celebration of Brazil's independence, the cross sketched on a napkin by engineer Silva Costa was destined to become a stunning work that would rewrite the city's skyline. French sculptor Paul Landowski spent nine years transforming 35,000 tons of concrete into a flowing robe, allowing the 38-meter-high statue of Jesus to emerge from the mist on the top of Corcovado Mountain. This giant structure, which perfectly combines Roman robes with decorative art, has each finger bearing 12 tons of wind pressure, but it becomes increasingly white in tropical rainstorms - the drainage system buried by the architect allows calcium carbonate to continuously precipitate, making the statue seem to have achieved a miracle of self-purification. Civilized dialogue above the clouds As you climb the rainforest railway on the red cogwheel train, tropical parrots will fly through the tunnel arches left over from the colonial era. When the altitude exceeds 700 meters, the statue of Christ with arms outstretched suddenly fills the entire field of vision. The shock is comparable to the ancient people seeing the pyramids for the first time in the desert. This 635-ton concrete giant points its left hand to the surfers on Cantagara Beach and strokes the dome of Maracanã Stadium with its right hand, embracing both modern civilization and pristine ecology. In 2012, the judges of UNESCO had an epiphany: it was this coexistence of divinity and humanity that made Rio the first natural heritage site selected as a whole city. A visual feast from God’s perspective Standing on the observation deck at the feet of Christ, the waves of Copacabana Beach turned into a skirt inlaid with diamonds, and the Rodrigo Lagoon spread out into an emerald tray in the morning light. As the cloud shadows shift, the Lapa neighborhood with its orange-tiled roofs appears and disappears, as if God is playing with his urban sandbox. The most magical time is dusk, when the setting sun dyes the Ipanema Beach into gold foil, helicopters carrying wealthy people fly over the colorful roofs of the slums, and flying birds, gospel songs and football played by slum boys weave into Rio's unique life concerto under the watchful eye of Christ. The never-ending theater of faith When night falls, 300 spotlights turn the statue into a cross of light suspended in the night sky. Trams from Santa Teresa dinged by, carrying tourists taking selfies on the Seleron Steps and passing local believers holding candles as they climbed the Via Dolorosa. At the Penha Church on the mountainside, newlyweds exchanged vows to the rhythm of tango, while in the base museum at the top of the mountain, the 20,000 reflectors that were put into use in 1931 still tell the story of how the primitive optical technology was used to connect the whole of Brazil. As architect Costa said: "This is not a church, but an altar for the whole of Brazil." When lightning in the rainy season splits the sky, the statue of Christ shows amazing divine tension in the purple-red clouds. This modern totem, cast with reinforced concrete, is neither a purely religious place nor a simple observation deck, but a spiritual beacon built by the people of Rio for all mankind. It proves that even in this age of deconstructionism, humans still need to look up, to find the ever-open arms at an altitude of 709 meters. Just as every New Year's Eve, when the fireworks on Copacabana Beach illuminate the face of Christ, two million revelers are convinced that this city is always alive and well under the gaze of God.