A worker inflates a giant chicken resembling Donald Trump in a factory in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, on Jan. 6, 2017. (Photo : Twitter)
A balloon factory in eastern China's Zhejiang Province is currently offering giant inflatable chickens that look like U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to help Chinese usher in the Lunar New Year with a twist.
The five-meter (16-foot) balloons, which sport Trump's signature golden mane and mimic his hand gestures with tiny wings, were inspired by an art installation by Seattle-based artist Casey Latiolais outside a shopping mall in Taiyuan, the capital of north China's Shanxi Province late last year.
Cartoon figures of animals from the Chinese zodiac are commonplace around Chinese New Year, and with the Year of the Rooster coming in at the end of the month Chinese manufacturers are quick to pounce on Latiolais's now-viral work with smaller, tweaked versions of the sculpture online.
"I saw his image on the news and he has a lot of personality, and since Year of the Rooster is coming up I mixed these two elements together to make a Chinese chicken," Wei Qing, the owner of the balloon factory in Jiaxing city, told the AFP.
"It is so funny, so we designed it and tried to sell it and it turned out to be popular."
The "bigly" birds don't come cheap, however, as the factory is selling the balloons for as much as 14,400 yuan ($2,080) on the Chinese online shopping platform Taobao.
Chinese businesses have also offered their own versions of the Trump rooster with a wide range of dimensions and prices on Chinese online shopping sites, according to Shanghaiist.
As for possible trademark issues with Latiolais' original work, Wei said he was unaware that the American designer had created the original and "there are some differences in the facial expression. And that one is glass. Ours is inflatable."
Trump has been a source of controversy in China for his fiery stance on Chinese trade practices he says are unfair to American consumers.
He has also angered Party officials for taking a phone call from Taiwan President Tsai-wen, breaking with decades of U.S. diplomatic practice.
