In an attempt to promote trade relations, the city of Florence gave a bronze reproduction of Michelangelo’s David to the city of Ningbo, China, two years ago. In return, Ningbo donated two huge stone sculptures last year. The reproduction was greeted warmly by the Chinese, but in Florence authorities are having difficulty finding a home for the two reproductions of Tang dynasty figures, one a smiling warrior and one a bureaucrat, because city residents do not find them aesthetically appealing. The statues, which are 13 feet tall, have been housed in a freight warehouse since they arrived. “They are ugly and too imposing,” said Andrea Ceccarelli, a representative of the city’s residents. The city must deal with the situation now because a delegation from Ningbo, a city in Zhejiang Province, is coming to Italy later this month to inspect the statues.Uh-oh! And -- yet -- I feel an odd sense of utterly evil, completely devilish glee since I do spend a lot of time messing about with both Chinese and Italian things. And the Florentines . . . Well, they are Florentines. Beautiful art is in their blood -- and has been ever since the heady days of the Renaissance. Besides, perhaps they prefer the enormous 17-foot-tall human figure statue that they already have. And if the Florentines are as chauvinistic about art as they are about food, then the Chinese are out of luck.
OK, I can't help it. Here is MM's short version of things:
Chinese to Florentines: Ni hao! Here's a cool gift of Chinese art!De gustibus, people! Oh, mamma mia (for you Italians) and ai-ya (for you Chinese)!
Florentines to Chinese: THAT??? It's UGLY. Che brutto!
3 comments:
Hilarious! "A smiling warrior and a bureaucrat". Could there be something more iconic in regard to Chinese trade policy?
Those Florence local politicians aren't that intelligent, right? To just hide the statues and call them ugly is flatout stupid.
My more face-saving suggestions:
The statues? Ohhhh, they are sooo beautiful that we decided to send them on a road show thoughout Italy. They should be in Milano right now.
The statues? Beamed up by some U.F.O.'s. Sorry.
Yeah, well, the statues. We are sorry, but it's against EU law to expose statues to sunlight.
We put those statues on our market place. The next day, they were stolen by German tourists. And German authorities refuse to return them because they are so impressive.
Hee hee! I love the suggestions!
Hee hee! I love the suggestions!
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