Year of the Trump Rooster in China

The Zhejiang, China-based factory has already produced 30 of the 'Trump rooster' inflatables, some of which are up to 20 meters (65.6 feet) in height (AFP photo)

From Reuters news agency:

It’s the Year of the Giant Trump Rooster at one Chinese factory

Beijing, Thursday, 12 January 2017

A factory in eastern China is racing to keep up with demand for its new clutch – giant inflatable rooster balloons that bear what some say is an uncanny resemblance to US President-elect Donald Trump.

The Zhejiang-based factory has already produced 30 of the inflatables, some of which are up to 20 meters (65.6 feet) in height, and all sporting puffed-up combs of gold.

Li Haiyan, manager at Caile Inflatable Products Co, said he still has plenty of orders to go before the Lunar New Year arrives on Jan. 28.

The likeness to Trump is pure coincidence and unintended, Li said, and many Chinese will only associate its appearance with that of this year’s zodiac animal – the rooster.

Li would not say where the inspiration for the design came from, but local media have commented on the inflatables’ remarkable likeness to a statue that appeared in front of a shopping mall in northern Shanxi province in late December.

Seattle-based US graphic artist Casey Latiolais, the statue’s designer, said he was commissioned to produce something rooster-like but agreed there were some similarities.

“I can definitely say Mr. Trump has a lot of similarities in that he likes to tweet,” Latiolais said.

“And he also likes to tweet at or around sunrise, and if you take away the fact that roosters are kind of loud and self-absorbed, then I think you can start drawing similarities that way.”

China is paying close attention to Trump as he takes the reins on Jan. 20.

During his election campaign, the billionaire and former reality show star took an aggressive tone with China, blaming Beijing for US job losses and vowing to call China a currency manipulator on his first day in office.

“Maybe the meaning (behind the statue) is in that 2017, the year of chicken, there will be a bigger and better breakthrough in diplomacy (between the US and China),” said Taiyuan resident and teacher Wang Hainan.

5 thoughts on “Year of the Trump Rooster in China”

Dear supporters,

We have been busy mobilizing for thousands to join us at the mass resistance to Trump, #J20Resist – j20resist.org.

So far we have

Initiated buses and carpools from over 15 cities to march at #J20Resist in DC, along with actions across the U.S.
Launched a call for global actions across the world against Trump on January 20th
We worked with local groups in DisruptJ20 to secure permits to rally and planned a march on the White House during Trump’s parade.
Plans are in place for legal observers, jail solidarity teams, if there are any arrests during J20, medical teams, mass housing at local churches and working with the press as best we can to get our revolutionary message out.

Our D.C. Plans are to rally at Union Station, at “Anti” Columbus Circle starting at 6 am and march at 10 am to the White House. We will have an ending rally McPhearson Square, a block from the White House.

Now more than ever, we urgently need your support to make this mobilization possible gofundme.com/protest-trumps-inauguration. A donation of $25 will get another person a seat from our buses from New York and Philadelphia. A $60 donation can help us to mobilize people from North Carolina and Detroit.

Please, if you cannot make it to DC, consider making a donation to this important movement. We need it now more than ever.

While the Democrats want divert the rage against Trump into a stronger, pro-war stance against Russia, the people of the U.S. must continue to fight independently of both parties for what we desperately need. We need jobs, health care, education, justice for migrants and people of color, an end to militarism and war and more. We don’t buy the fake news and the outright lies meant to distract us from our real task, creating a revolution to end the rule of the two parties of capitalism.

Let the Anti-Trump struggle blossom into a struggle against the entire system of capitalism, white supremacy, LGBTQ bigotry, oppression of women, attacks on migrants, police terror, union-busting, and more!

This massive mobilization in D.C. and all around the country is a step in building the unity we need to fight Trump and the whole capitalist system. J20Resist is working in participation with the following groups, and many more:

BAYAN Philippine Coalition,
Committee to Stop FBI Repression,
DisruptJ20,
Freedom Road Socialist Organization,
International Action Center,
Michigan Emergency Coalition Against War & Injustice,
Moratorium Now,
Pakistan USA Freedom Forum,
Peoples Power Assembly,
Philly Real Justice,
Samidoun Palestine Prisoners Network,
Solidarity Center,
Solidarity Iran,
Students for a Democratic Society,
Team Solidarity,
United American Indians of New England,
United National Antiwar Coalition,
USW Local 8751 Boston School Bus Drivers Union,
Why Accountability,
Women’s Fightback Network,
Workers World Party