Superstitious Chinese investors jittery as black swan sculpture appears in Beijing financial district
Artwork installed inside entrance of upmarket shopping mall, opposite China Securities Regulatory Commission’s headquarters, removed within hours
The sculpture of a black swan installed in an upmarket shopping mall in Beijing’s financial district next to the country’s securities watchdog was removed within hours on Monday because superstitious investors feared it might spark bad luck, mainland media reports.
Internet users said the bird also appeared to be looking at people entering and leaving the regulatory building in Beijing Financial Street, which was likely to make the public feel uncomfortable.
So the Seasons Place shopping centre, which had installed the artwork outside its main hall only on Monday morning asked its staff to remove the sculpture later that afternoon.
It was unclear why the sculpture was installed inside the mall, but a poster on display in the mall suggested the expensive looking piece of art could have been intended to complement its upmarket stores.