BEIJING, Sept. 9 (Xinhuanet) -- Regular viewers will know that on Friday the big yellow duck finally arrived in Beijing. This is the art installation's first visit to the Chinese mainland. However, as early as this May, many copycat ducks had already popped up in several mainland cities.

The craze began in May, when a 54-foot yellow rubber duck made by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman was floated in Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbor.

Copycat versions of the inflatable duck made in China began appearing all over. The ducks showed up in at least 16 cities, used mostly to advertise real estate.

Others are using the yellow duck craze to promote an environmental message. Several days before the real duck arrived at Beijing’s Garden Expo Park, a huge copycat version appeared at Beijing’s lake-filled Yuyuantan Park. The duck was in a green waistcoat, and it headed a line of seven giant eggs bearing the message "The yellow duck also has a green dream".

"It’s fake, but it’s quite creative as it sends out an environmental message," a visitor said.

However, vice director of the Organizing Committee of Beijing Design Week Zeng Hui says that those copycat versions are "a violation of intellectual property rights or a profiteering conspiracy", because the duck is a gift from Beijing Design Week’s guest city Amsterdam. And Hofman, the creator of the duck, has signed an agreement to authorize Beijing Design Week the right to exhibit the duck or sell its derivatives.

"Mr. Hofman owns the copyright of the duck. He signed an agreement with Beijing Design Week, so only the duck at the Beijing Garden Expo Park is the genuine one, others are fake," said Zeng Hui, vice director of organizing committee of Beijing Design Week.

The giant rubber duck may arouse different opinions, but one thing for sure is that it does bring a lot fun to those going to see it.

(Source: cntv.cn)