National

Regional

Taiwan, HK, Macao

Special Coverage

Focus

Society

Profiles

Little Mermaid's Chinese debut is the Danish commitment and trust in China

(chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-09-04 19:14

Denmark's world-renowned statue, the "Little Mermaid," will be standing in waters at the Danish Pavilion during the Shanghai World Expo next year.

Moving the iconic statue to China is of great significance for China and Denmark's bilateral relations, according to the Danish Ambassador Mr. Jeppe, especially because this will be the first time the statue has been taken abroad.

"That is a strong symbol of both the Danish commitment to its relations with China and also of the Danish trust in China." said Mr. Jeppe, "We made the decision, after some discussion, to take the "Little Mermaid", not a copy but the real one, from the harbor of Copenhagen to Shanghai."

When asked about another Danish icon, Hans Christian Andersen, best known for his children's stories, including "the Ugly Duckling," Mr. Jeppe said he was touched by how well-known they were in China.

"It constantly touches me how much the Andersen's fairy tales are known in China. I think that many Chinese people know the fairy tales just as well as the Danish do." said Mr. Jeppe.

But, he said, Danish culture is by no means limited to statues and stories.

"The Danish today are also active in many other areas such as music, ballet, art, engineering and modern designs," the Ambassador said.