On the second day of the Yellow Rubber Duck exhibition in Taoyuan, Taiwan on the 27th, 200,000 duck-viewing enthusiasts flocked to the event. Along with four other exhibition sites, a total of 330,000 visitors poured into Xinzhuang, Taoyuan to see the duck. Some people from Hsinchu ran a marathon covering 42 kilometers, while an 80-year-old couple surnamed Liu from Taipei rode electric scooters about 60 kilometers—all just to catch a glimpse of the adorable duck.
According to Taiwan's China Times, due to clear weather, by 7 a.m. on the 27th, the Houhu Pond walkway was already crowded with duck viewers. However, because another entrance was opened on the other side, the flow of people became congested right in front of the duck, leaving the crowd momentarily stuck.
Some people cashed in on the duck craze—street vendors enjoyed booming business, and some local residents seized the "duck-viewing business opportunity" by opening up their rooftops for visitors to see the duck, charging 50 New Taiwan Dollars per entry. Although the full view of the duck was still not visible, these residents still earned around 8,000 New Taiwan Dollars over the course of the day.
Five running enthusiasts set off from Zhudong Railway Station in Hsinchu at 6:30 a.m. yesterday, jogging through Qionglin, Xinfeng, Hukou and other areas, and arrived at Houhu Pond in Xinzhuang, Taoyuan six hours later to see the duck. They said that running and then seeing the duck was the happiest thing, and they didn’t have to worry about finding parking either.
82-year-old Mr. Liu, undeterred by the 60-kilometer journey, rode his motorcycle all the way from Da’an District in Taipei, bringing his wife along to Xinzhuang, Taoyuan to see the duck. Though it took over two hours, being able to see the cute Yellow Rubber Duck made it all worthwhile. However, when it was time to go home, Mr. Liu forgot where he had parked his motorcycle and had to rely on police help to retrieve it.
Overwhelmed by the massive influx of duck viewers, Xinzhuang Township experienced continued traffic jams yesterday, with the longest line of cars stretching nearly 2 kilometers. What is usually a 5-minute drive took nearly an hour to complete, leaving drivers fuming. The transportation department added 20 more shuttle buses yesterday to ease public frustration.
Outside of the official visiting hours for the Yellow Rubber Duck, there were four security personnel managing the entrances and exits, but there was still a two-hour window with no staff supervision. During this time, the public entered the lake area to view the duck, and in case of any accidents like falling into the lake, timely rescue might not be possible. Jiang Lide, the village chief of Houhu, said that there are about a dozen roads leading to Houhu Pond, and locals generally do not visit during non-supervised hours, but safety concerns remain.
Many people stand on the Jersey barriers to take photos, but the barrier in front of the duck is only supported by a few rocks on the ground. If people stand on it to take pictures, any loose soil or stones could cause the barrier to slide down onto the road 2 meters below, which is very dangerous.
The organizing Taoyuan County Cultural Affairs Bureau stated that they plan to assign more personnel to strengthen guidance and promote crowd flow management, as well as deploy two additional police and fire officers along with security to manage the entrances. They will also promptly repair the Jersey barriers.
Yesterday, a lot of trash such as bottles and plastic bags appeared next to the lakeside walking path, keeping cleaning staff very busy. The Taoyuan County Environmental Protection Bureau urged duck viewers to show more public spirit and avoid littering.
The Taoyuan County Cultural Affairs Bureau reported that there were approximately 200,000 visitors to the duck exhibition site yesterday. Together with the other four exhibition areas—"Dot Art," "Water Alley and Fanjiang Ancestral Hall," and others—a total of 330,000 people visited Xinzhuang to see the exhibits.