The Keelung Yellow Rubber Duck Makes a Quick "Comeback" – Testing to Be Conducted on the Afternoon of the 2nd

▲The Keelung Yellow Rubber Duck burst on the last day of 2013!(Photo / Reporter Chang Kai-wen)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

The Keelung Yellow Rubber Duck can be called the "most legendary duck" in Taiwan. First, it suddenly "died" on the last day of 2013. Originally, Keelung City Council Speaker Huang Jing-tai had stated that he would ask the next stop's "Southeast Duck" to make an early cross-strait appearance, but later said the Keelung Duck had "quickly" come back to life. Today (1/2), Huang Jing-tai once again stated that the Keelung Yellow Rubber Duck would undergo related testing in the afternoon. Whether the approximately 8-meter-long "scar" on the duck’s right cheek could regain its former appearance was drawing widespread attention.

The Yellow Rubber Duck has really had a rough time in Taiwan. It had just arrived in Keelung when it first faced a dispute between Fan Keqin and Florentijn Hofman, then became dirty within two days of being in the water. It was cleaned and got dirty again, turning from a “Black-and-White Hero” into a “Tri-color Duck,” becoming another hot topic. Just when the northern sunshine finally appeared, the Keelung Duck suddenly “exploded” on the last day of 2013, not only shocking everyone but also prompting multiple foreign media outlets to report on the incident.

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Huang Jing-tai said in an interview today that the Keelung Yellow Rubber Duck, which had been reduced to a flat piece of rubber, was successfully repaired by noon yesterday after the organizers requested the manufacturing company, Atmosphere Corp., to work around the clock. Today, further cleaning and safety testing will be conducted on the Keelung Duck.

Huang Jing-tai pointed out that after reviewing the repair results, the organizers felt that although the healed Keelung Duck had an additional long scar from the repair, it better highlighted the Taiwanese spirit of “persevering no matter what.” As a result, they ultimately decided to let the Keelung Duck stay on duty and complete its mission.

After investigation, the cause of the duck’s “explosion” was due to a previous incident where a Duck in Taoyuan burst. The manufacturer had installed safety strips on the Keelung Duck to prevent this, but these caused pressure inside the duck to build up like a “pressure cooker,” leading to the explosion. After repairs, the organizers will install exhaust fans at the bottom of the Keelung Duck. When internal air pressure changes are detected, air will be blown in with a blower while simultaneously being expelled via the exhaust fans to regulate the internal pressure. (News source: Central News Agency)