The Yellow Rubber Duck Becomes a “Neck-Bowed Duck” — First Exhibition in Beijing’s Summer Palace Features a Deflated Duck Drinking from the Lake

▲Beijing’s Yellow Rubber Duck becomes a “neck-bowed duck” due to deflation (Photo / CFP)

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Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

Did the Yellow Rubber Duck bow its head? The iconic duck, officially unveiled on the 26th at Kunming Lake in Beijing’s Summer Palace, had just managed to “stand tall” after three hours of inflation the night before, but began to slowly deflate early on the morning of the 26th, creating the amusing sight of a “Yellow Rubber Duck bowing its head and sipping water from Kunming Lake.”

According to mainland media reports, Beijing’s Yellow Rubber Duck finished its exhibition at the Garden Expo Park on the 24th, was then deflated and rushed to the Summer Palace in preparation for its re-appearance on the 26th. On the evening of the 25th, after people had been eagerly waiting, it took three hours to complete the inflation, followed by a test float in the water. The Yellow Rubber Duck, which had finally managed to stand upright, showed no signs of trouble after being launched, but some observers noticed that on the 26th, when the duck officially entered Kunming Lake, it seemed sleep-deprived — its head gradually lowered until it eventually bowed down and appeared to be drinking from the lake.

Upon investigation, it was found that this “Beijing Duck” had deflated for unknown reasons, resulting in the sight that onlookers witnessed — the “Yellow Rubber Duck bowing its head and sipping water from Kunming Lake.” Many netizens on the mainland joked that the duck might be suffering from culture shock in its new environment, while others sarcastically remarked that with its drooping posture and multiple wrinkles, what had arrived should have been a yellow rubber “chicken” instead.