A crane lifted the “Little Mermaid’’ statue for its journey to Shanghai, China, and the Danish pavilion of the World Expo.
(Andreas Hillergren/AFP/Getty Images)
Danes send their Mermaid on a mission
A crane lifted the “Little Mermaid’’ statue for its journey to Shanghai, China, and the Danish pavilion of the World Expo.
(Andreas Hillergren/AFP/Getty Images)
COPENHAGEN — Denmark’s famed “Little Mermaid’’ statue left her perch in the Copenhagen harbor yesterday and started a journey to the World Expo in Shanghai — the first trip abroad in her 96-year history.
The 5-foot landmark, which honors the memory of Danish fairy tale writer Hans Christian Andersen, was lifted by a crane and lowered onto a truck at a ceremony in the Danish capital.
The exact itinerary is being kept secret for security reasons, but the statue is to be placed as the centerpiece of the Danish pavilion about a week before the World Expo opens May 1.
The temporary move is controversial in Denmark, where some considered it disrespectful to ship a cultural treasure halfway across the globe as a public relations tool. Critics suggested the government should have sent a copy to China — an idea dismissed by Christopher Bo Bramsen, Danish commissioner general for Expo 2010.
“Why send a copy when you can send the real thing?’’ he said in an interview.
© Copyright 2010 Globe Newspaper Company.
