Golden Trump rooster statues become icons around China
US president-elect’s avian coiffure inspires entrepreneurs and online gift market
With the year of rooster coming up, Chinese entrepreneurs are finding inspiration in Donald Trump as they make chicken-like toys and sculptures to lure customers.
A shopping mall in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, has erected a giant rooster sculpture that has Trump’s signature hairstyle, facial expression and hand gestures.
The designer of the sculpture said its egg-shaped body and golden Trump-like hair deliver the message of “getting rich”, according to Phototimes, a social media news outlet run by Tencent. The egg is a symbol of fertility and prosperity in Chinese culture.
News of the sculpture has prompted other enterprising souls to offer replicas on e-commerce site Taobao, for prices ranging from a few hundred yuan to 50,000 yuan (HK$56,000).
Wei Wei, who owns a company that produces inflatable decorations, said he started to offer the figure online after seeing photos of the sculpture on news media.