Rubber duck to float in Beijing

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After touring 13 cities in 10 countries, a giant rubber duck designed by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman will be in Beijing from September to October, floating first at Beijing Garden Expo Park and then at Summer Palace, the Beijing Design Week organizing committee said on Wednesday.

This is the first time Hofman's duck will come to the Chinese mainland. The bright yellow conceptual art piece has already won lots of Chinese fans after it was displayed in Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour in May.

Beijing's rubber duck will be 18-meters, taller than the 16.5-meter version displayed in Hong Kong, said Zeng Hui, vice-director of the organizing committee office.

"In case the giant duck deflates, we have made two rubber ducks," Zeng said.

That happened in Hong Kong, where the huge inflatable duck was reduced to a puddle of yellow plastic after being displayed for two weeks.

The artwork is a gift to Beijing from Amsterdam - this year's Beijing Design Week Guest of Honor.

The designer will visit Beijing for its launch on Sept 6 at Garden Expo, said a senior cultural affairs officer at the embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The yellow duck will be on display at Beijing Garden Expo Park from Sept 6 to 23. People can also see the giant yellow duck against a Chinese ancient bridge at Summer Palace from Sept 26 to Oct 26.

People have to buy tickets to the sites if they wish to see the duck.

The duck was installed in public areas and displayed free of charge in the previous cities it visited, including Hong Kong, Sydney and London.

Having to pay to view the artwork has evoked complaints online.

Tens of thousands of people commented following the news of the rubber duck's imminent arrival in Beijing. About half of those complained about having to buy tickets to see the piece.

"If I have to pay for the visit, I won't go to see the duck," said Shi Yao, 25, an office worker at China National Offshore Oil Corp Institute in Beijing.

A ticket to Beijing Garden Expo Park costs 100 yuan ($16.34) and the cost of entering Summer Palace is 30 yuan.

The duck will be in Beijing during Mid-Autumn Festival and the National Day holidays, when crowds of tourists from around the nation are expected to visit the capital.

Last year during the national holidays, nearly 1 million people visited Summer Palace.

Questions:

1. How many cities were on the giant rubber duck tour?

2. Who designed the duck?

3. When and where will it be in Beijing?

Answers:

1. 13 cities in 10 countries.

2. Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman.

3. September to October, at Beijing Garden Expo Park and Summer Palace.

About the broadcaster:

Nelly Min is an editor at China Daily with more than 10 years of experience as a newspaper editor and photographer. She has worked at major newspapers in the U.S., including the Los Angeles Times and the Detroit Free Press. She is also fluent in Korean.