Shanghai unveils ‘stronger’ version of Wall Street bull
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Italian-US artist Arturo Di Modica’s Charging Bull statue is
unveiled at the Bund in Shanghai. AFP
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Shanghai unveiled a new landmark on its Bund waterfront over the
weekend, a bronze bull sculpture inspired by Wall Street’s “Charging
Bull” representing China’s rising financial ambitions.
American artist Arturo Di Modica — the sculptor behind the New York
bull who also created its Shanghai sibling — was at the unveiling on
Saturday.
At 2.5 metres (8.2 feet) tall and 2.5 tonnes (2.7 tons), the Shanghai
sculpture was the same size as the Wall Street version, but “redder,
younger and stronger”, Di Modica was quoted as telling the Shanghai
Daily.
“It’s a mixture of Western and Chinese cultures,” said Di Modica,
adding he was inspired by both the “Charging Bull” and the Chinese
Zodiac’s ox.
The animal’s confident stance represented a bullish and prosperous
future for the rising financial center, Di Modica said. The Shanghai
officials who commissioned the sculpture had previously said they wanted
their bull to weigh twice as much the one on Wall Street.
The city requested a bull that was younger and stronger than New York
City’s bull to symbolise “the energy of Shanghai’s economy”, Zhou Wei,
the head of Huangpu district told reporters at a previous briefing.
“That’s why the head of the Bund’s bull looks up while the Wall
Street Bull looks downward,” he said.
In the early 20th century, the neo-classical buildings along the Bund
were known as the “Wall Street of Asia” and giants born there include
the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, or HSBC, and insurers
American International Group, or AIG.
The central government has declared it aims to build Shanghai, which
has long been China’s business heart, into an international financial
centre by 2020.
AFP
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