Two giant rubber ducks make their debut in Hong Kong in an attempt to drive „double happiness”.

HONG KONG, June 9 — A pair of rubber ducks quacked in Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbor on Friday, part of an art installation by Dutch artist Florentijn Hoffmann titled „Double Ducks,” which he believes will bring happiness to the ducks. to the city.

The inflatable yellow ducks, 18 meters (59 feet) tall, will sail the harbor for two weeks, coming a decade after Hoffman’s „Rubber Duck” sculpture drew crowds at the Asian Financial Center in 2013.

Hoffman said his pair of ducks would bring „double the fun, double the joy” and new excitement to Hong Kong.

„I hope it brings joy as it has done in the past, and in a world where we are suffering from a pandemic, wars and political situation, I think it is the right moment to bring back double fortune.”

According to curator AllRightsReserved (ARR), the ducks resemble the symmetrical Chinese characters „xi” for happiness and „peng” for friends.

Inspired by the world map and rubber ducks, Hoffman created his giant inflatable rubber duck installation, starting in the Netherlands in 2007 and making stops in ports from France to Brazil.

Parked near Hong Kong’s Central District and Tamar Park, the ducks swam across Victoria Harbor to the delight of onlookers.

Anna, a 40-year-old woman walking on the sidewalk, said she was amused by the ducks.

„We want more installation art, like the rubber ducks in Hong Kong. Now Hong Kong doesn’t have a lot of space for art, compare it to Macau or Shenzhen, which have more art installations.”

Kane, a 40-year-old engineer, said the ducks were positive for Hong Kong. „It’s a silver lining when the community is so downtrodden. Public money is better spent on this than other areas.”

Reporting by Justin Fung, Jesse Pong and Joyce Chau; Written by Farah Master; Editing by Michael Perry

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