Rubber Duck lands in Beijing

A father and daughter enjoy Rubber Duck after its emergency beak repairs. Photo: Li Hao/GT

Families flooded to the much anticipated migration of the giant Rubber Duck art installation to Beijing on Friday, an event slightly marred by a mutation on the 6-story-tall inflatable bird's beak that made it resemble a chicken.

Originally, officials at Beijing Garden Expo Park believed the pointy beak was because the children-friendly art installation by Dutch designer Florentijn Hofman, which drew rave reviews during its stay in Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor in May, had not been adequately inflated. Officials on Friday used five giant mechanical blowers in a desperate attempt to puff out the bill to more duck-like dimensions.

This plan didn't work. Zeng Hui, a deputy director of the Beijing Design Week (BDW) organizing committee office, which is in charge of introducing Rubber Duck to Beijing, on Sunday said an investigation revealed the problem was that the bill was attached to the 18-meter-tall Rubber Duck's head vertically instead of horizontally.

"According to our investigation and communication with the designer Mr. Hofman, it's because the Beijing company which made the duck didn't strictly follow the design drawing."

A team of 20 people worked through the night on Friday and repaired the deformed bill just hours before the park opened again on Saturday. "This incident warned us that only the correct production of the design drawings can ensure the best representation of the good design," Zeng noted.

"We are making efforts every day to ensure the proper functioning of the pumping machines, and doing inspection work to ensure that emergencies are dealt with properly and promptly."