The sand paintings show the changes of Shengsi county in Zhoushan over the four decades since the initiation of China's reform and opening-up policy.

Shengsi county, located in the north of the Zhoushan Archipelago, is one of the nation's top ten fishing counties, known as the "Fish Warehouse of the East China Sea" and the "Ranch on the Sea".

The county's Shengshan town implemented the contract responsibility system in fishery production, the first step of its fishery reform, in January, 1979, greatly increasing the town's fishery productivity. 

The county started to build large steel fishing vessels in 1990s, and the pelagic fishery industry began to expand on the county and the island of Zhoushan as a whole. 

Major ports have been constructed and put to use in the county over the four decades, such as the Majishan Baosteel Terminal, which is currently the largest ore transit terminal in Asia, and the Shanghai International Shipping Center Yangshan Deep-water Port, which is currently the world's largest automated container terminal. 

Transport by sea, land and air has also been gradually improved, with high-speed passenger vessels, the East China Sea Bridge and the Shenjiawan Bus Terminal emerging one after another, boosting the economy of the county.