Giant rabbit sculpture attracts thousands in Taoyuan

Want China Times, CNA 2014-09-07

Moon Rabbit sculpture in Taoyuan, Sept. 4. (File photo/CNA)

A giant white rabbit sculpture on display at the 2014 Taoyuan Land Arts Festival in northern Taiwan attracted large crowds Saturday, the first day of the three-day weekend, the organizers said.

The 25-meter tall Moon Rabbit, designed by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, drew some 60,000 people between 9am and noon Saturday alone, the Taoyuan county government said.

With a running event scheduled for Sunday and the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday falling on Monday, many more visitors are expected over the next two days, the organizers said.

The sculpture, made of waterproof paper, wood and styrofoam, was designed exclusively for Taiwan by Hofman, whose giant floating Rubber Duck made a big splash across the country last year. The designer was scheduled to attend the opening ceremony Saturday evening.

The Moon Rabbit will remain in Taiwan after the festival but will not be put on public display again because the materials it is made from are not durable, the county government said.

The festival, which is being held Sept. 4-14, will also feature the work of Taiwanese and Chinese artists, including Xu Bin, president of China's Central Academy of Fine Arts.

Xu, who is known for his printmaking skills and installation pieces, will exhibit a project called Stone Path, in which stones engraved with Chinese characters are arranged to form poems on the ground.

There will also be 28 performances by artistes from home and abroad, the organizers said.

Hippos were a common sight in the Thames, 125,000
years ago. Photo: Totally Thames/Steve Stills

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