Denmark’s famed Little Mermaid statue to begin trip to China for World Expo
By APThursday, March 25, 2010
Little Mermaid to begin trip to China for Expo
COPENHAGEN — The Little Mermaid statue — Denmark’s top tourist attraction — is about to be removed from the Copenhagen harbor for the first time since it was placed there in 1913.
The 5-foot (1.5-meter) statue, which honors the memory of Danish fairy tale writer Hans Christian Andersen, is going to Shanghai to become the centerpiece of the Danish pavilion at the World Expo.
The fishtailed mermaid and the rock she rests on will be cut loose and lifted onto a truck at a ceremony Thursday. The exact travel itinerary is being kept secret for security reasons, but the statue is scheduled to be placed in the Danish pavilion about a week before the World Expo opens May 1.
A video installation by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei will replace the Little Mermaid until the statue returns in November.
