Not my cup of tea: Chinese internet users decry ‘sickening’ sculpture
A teapot sculpture in Southwest China has been widely criticised by the mainland’s online community after “tea” spewing out from its spout has turned an unpleasant shade of murky green, a national news website reported.
The sculpture features a teapot measuring 2m high and 3m in diameter, suspended in the air atop a 3m high “stream of tea” that pours into four teacups, according to People.com.cn.
The sculpture stands in front of the Ping Chuan Tea Factory in Liangping County.
According to the report, staff of the factory explained that the colour of the “tea” had changed colour because it was constructed with concrete that now was covered with moss.
The “tea” was originally planned to be poured through a transparent plastic tube, but the company found it was not strong enough to support the teapot.
“I bet you anyone would think that whatever the substance being poured out isn’t tea,” said one Weibo user.
“Looking at it makes me want to vomit!” said another.
The official Weibo account of Liangping County’s propaganda department posted a photo of the sculpture in June, 2013 and praised it for “emphasising Ping Chuan Tea Factory’s flavour of tea leaves” and “raising the company’s cultural brand”.