Year of the Rooster comes up trumps
A CHINESE factory has been doing a brisk business selling giant inflatable roosters, some as tall as almost 5 metres, based on a design widely perceived in China to resemble President-elect Donald Trump.
Yifang Inflatables, a factory in the city of Jiaxing, near Shanghai, began selling the inflatables after images of a large sculpture of a similar design outside a shopping centre in the northern city of Taiyuan went viral on social media last month.
Original design
The original statue was designed by US-based artist Casey Latiolais. Wei Qing, the owner of the factory in Jiaxing, said they have sold around 100 of the roosters, in sizes from 2 to 5 metres tall, to shopping centres in mainland China and Taiwan. Wei said some customers think the rooster resembles Donald Trump, but that the manufacturers had no say over that.
The social media sensation comes as China prepares to celebrate the Lunar Year of the Rooster, starting on January 28, the country’s most important traditional holiday.
The social media sensation comes as China prepares to celebrate the Lunar Year of the Rooster on January 28.
“It does seem like it’s got a personality, more so than chickens in previous years” in the Chinese zodiac, Wei said. “But because this is China’s Year of the Rooster, it has gone viral on the internet.”
“I think this chicken is really special, so I decided to manufacture it,” Wei added. – AP