Autistic paintings welcome Rubber Duck to Summer Palace

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Autistic paintings welcome Rubber Duck to Summer Palace

(People's Daily Online) 18:47, September 28, 2013

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Chinese singer Lin Yilun, the head of Chinese rubber duck fan club, and the invited autism children pose in front of the Rubber Duck in Beijing's Summer Palace, Sept. 27, 2013. (People’ Daily Online/Chen Lidan)

The Rubber Duck floats again on Beijing's waters with duck paintings created by 15 autism children who were invited to greet the arrival of the duck on Friday.

To ordinary visitors, the yellow duck's arrival means a new attraction in the Summer Palace while the organizer plans to use the charm of the duck to do more for the public good.

Friday's autistic art show is a part of public service activities which are unfolding with the stay of the Rubber Duck in Beijing. What comes next is a design contest with the theme "design for love". The organizer Beijing Design Week (BJDW) hopes the duck could inspire Beijing teenagers to create artwork that show their care to the city, environment and peers who are in need as they view the duck.

Dutch conceptual artist Florentijn Hofman's giant yellow duck had travelled 14 cities in 11 countries before it arrived in Beijing. A deflation incident in Hong Kong made the duck grab soaring admirers in Chinese mainland.

When the duck came to Beijing Garden Expo Park, deflation, together with a laughable installment error which gave the duck a drooping chicken-like beak stirred more discussion in the Chinese Internet world. Another round of online wisecracks came when the deflated duck "took a bow" to visitors and beak poked into the water on its first day floating on Kunming Lake in the Summer Palace.

"These incidents are in our expectation and people could take them easy because we've prepared responsive measures to make the situation under control," Sun Qun, vice director of BJDW Organizing Committee told People’s Daily Online.

"As organizer, we don't turn away from public feedback and some online remarks are unexpected but really interesting. We welcome the interaction with duck viewers," added Sun.

A variety of duck goods are also on sale and the duck will bid farewell to Beijing citizens on Oct. 26. The duck's "papa" Hofman may witness the ending of his adorable artwork’s tour in Beijing.