A "yuge" rooster sculpture resembling President-elect Donald Trump has recently been erected in China's northern Shanxi province to celebrate the New Year holiday, attracting considerable public attention.
The seven-meter-tall rooster with The Donald's trademark hairstyle stands on a plaza outside N1 ArtWalk Mall, a shopping mall in Taiyuan. The giant bird appears to be gesturing the "No 1" and "OK" signs. Many visitors pose for photographs near the big sculpture and share their pictures on the internet.
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A giant rooster statue resembling Donald Trump stands outside N1 ArtWalk Mall, a shopping mall in Taiyuan, Shanxi province. [Photo/Agencies] |
Casey Latiolais, a motion graphics artist from the United States, was commissioned to design the statue, which is owned and used as a mascot by the shopping mall. The egg-shaped body and golden hair suggest luck and richness, catering to the literal meaning of the Year of the Rooster in China, according to the designer.
Quite a few businesses have sensed an opportunity to make a profit, due to the unexpected popularity of the Trump-like sculpture. Cao Mingliang, manager of the N1 ArtWalk Mall, told CNN that small replicas of the statue have been sold on Taobao, an online marketplace, and will be for sale soon in the mall.
There are now many inflatable models of the rooster statue available on the internet, with prices varying from some 100 yuan ($14.38) to more than 10,000 yuan based on the size of the model. Other Trump-related products, such as a Trump mask and headgear for parties, are also available online.
The president-elect has been arousing considerable controversy in China in recent weeks. He caused anger among Chinese for taking a call from Taiwan "president" Tsai Ing-wen and claiming that China had stolen a US research drone in the South China Sea.
Trump notoriously likes to savage his critics on Twitter, no matter how trivial the matter. However, the rooster statue has so far not aroused a response from the president-elect.
Trump will be inaugurated on Jan 20, eight days before the start of the Chinese Year of the Rooster.
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A family takes a selfie with the rooster statue at a plaza in Taiyuan, Shanxi province. [Photo/CFP] |
