Giant Rooster Statue of Trump Is Huge in China
After last summer’s KFC incident, it looks like Donald Trump is being tied to another poultry-related viral phenomenon.
A giant rooster statue in the likeness of the American President-elect has been erected in the city of Taiyuan, in Northern China. The Trump rooster statue was commissioned by the company who owns the N1 Artwalk Mall, in front of which it stands, and will be the mall’s new mascot, according to CNN. The Chinese New Year, which falls on January 28, 2017, will mark the beginning of the Year of the Rooster according to the Chinese Zodiac.
While undeniably less inflammatory than the realistic nude statues of Trump that popped up overnight across the United States last August, this statue is clearly meant to evoke him, with its immediately recognizable shock of golden hair and bushy eyebrows. Its wings bring to mind the President-elect’s distinctive hand gestures.
The Trump rooster statue has already attracted a lot of attention. Cao Mingliang, the mall’s deputy director of planning, told CNN that small replicas of the statue will soon be available for purchase for $57.
“I think the statue is very cute and funny, the hairstyle and eyebrows look very much like Donald Trump,” Wei Qing, whose business is selling replicas, told CNN. “I’m sure it will attract a lot of customers.”
As of Wednesday, Trump has not reacted to the statue.
While there is nothing openly derogatory about the statue itself, its unveiling does fit into a tense history between China and the President-elect. Throughout the 2016 campaign, Trump frequently criticized China’s trading practices and framed the country as an economic adversary of the United States. After his election, he caused an international uproar when he accepted a congratulatory phone call from the President of Taiwan – a major diplomatic faux-pas — as the United States does not currently recognize Taiwan as a distinct nation. China interpreted this incident as an offense. Therefore, it is likely the Trump rooster statue is not meant as an homage.
