Bull Market

Shanghai’s “menacing” new icon

One of Wall Street’s most iconic images is coming to Shanghai. American-Italian sculptor Arturo Di Modica has designed a near replica of his ‘Charging Bull’ for installation on Shanghai’s Bund, where it will be surrounded by screens flashing stock quotes. He told the Wall Street Journal that the bull is “exactly” the same length, height and weight (5,000 pounds) as its New York rendition. The only slight differences are a more reddish colour (to symbolise China), a different stance (leaning right, not left) and a more aggressive tail (“menacing and corkscrewing upwards”, says the Journal).

“We intend to build a financial centre that will serve the real economy,” says Fang Xinghai, director general of financial services for Shanghai’s government. “The bull on the Bund symbolises that effort.” It will formally be unveiled on May 1, to coincide with the start of the Shanghai Expo.

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