A Chinese artist, Hong Jinshi, in Dehua, Fujian province, China, has created Trump statues with a unique Zen-like style and sells them online. The statues have sparked debate on social media in the United States and China.
They reflect Zen-like calmness, contrasting Trump’s often fiery public image.
Some see the statues as satire, while others appreciate the artist’s unexpected cultural fusion. The works have already gained attention on social media, fuelling curiosity worldwide.
The Zen-like figures, which Hong sells for between 999 and 20,000 yuan (about $140 to $2,700 depending on size), first went viral on the e-commerce platform Taobao last year, generating national attention.
“In the days after he won the election, there was a lot of interest,” said Hong, who designed the statues as a joke.
“Politicians are normally so boring, while (Trump) is this massive online figure who often says fantastical things,” he said to AFP.
Hong, 47, estimates that he has sold hundreds of ceramic creations over the last few years.
They make customers smile because Trump’s “personality and the shape of the statue are two opposite extremes,” he explained.
Each figure is packaged with a Chinese phrase that translates to “Make your company great again,” a play on Trump’s well-known slogan for restoring American supremacy.
Copycat versions have even appeared on US shopping platforms like Amazon and Chinese-owned Temu for up to $45.
“It’s a good laugh to make fun of authority figures and famous people,” said Hong, sitting barefoot on the floor of his minimalist studio.
Hong’s loose white clothing, shaved head, and softly spoken demeanour bear little resemblance to the eccentric subjects in his sculptures.
He recently began designing a similar tongue-in-cheek effigy of another American luminary: Trump supporter Elon Musk, who appears to be a key figure in his administration.
The statue depicts the controversial billionaire as the Marvel superhero Iron Man, dressed in a rippling suit of metal armour.
In Hong’s version, however, a large rocket protrudes from Musk’s groin, representing the SpaceX CEO’s galactic ambitions.
Despite toeing the line between homage and offence, Hong admired Musk, whose electric vehicle company, Tesla, has a massive factory in Shanghai and strong sales in China.
“Musk’s rockets are awesome — he’s brought the price of rockets down a lot,” he told the Associated Press.
“He has done, as an individual entrepreneur, what an entire country can’t even do.”
Hong declined to comment on Trump’s policies toward China, a sensitive issue in the Asian nation.
However, many expect relations with the United States to deteriorate further following Trump’s inauguration on January 20.
On the campaign trail, Trump took a tough stance toward Beijing, promising even higher tariffs on Chinese imports.
During his first term, he imposed onerous levies during a bruising trade war, measures that his successor, Joe Biden, has largely preserved.
Trump’s brash rhetoric also enraged Chinese leaders, particularly when he blamed Beijing for the decline of American manufacturing and referred to the pathogen that causes COVID-19 as the “Chinese virus”.
Nonetheless, the 78-year-old appears to have a devoted following in China.
“I still think he’s just as funny (as before),” Hong stated. “Every day there’s interesting news when he’s president.”
Despite the renewed interest, Hong no longer sells his Trump statues on Chinese websites, which removed his listings, possibly because they were deemed offensive to Buddhists.
Still, orders continue to come in from tourists who visit Hong’s workshop, friends, and acquaintances.
“Now he’s been elected again, the sculpture has exploded in popularity once more,” Hong pointed out.
Perhaps, he added, it was because “Trump is someone with a lot of backstory”.
Source: AFP
