Deng's missing statue saddens Shenzhen natives
Deng's missing statue saddens Shenzhen natives
By Andrew Browne
SHENZHEN, China (Reuters): The most famous statue in this southern Chinese boomtown is nowhere to be seen.
Its polished marble plinth stands forlornly on a Shenzhen hilltop while Beijing leaders agonize over the bronze figure that is supposed to perch on top -- Deng Xiaoping.
Ideological soul-searching over whether the "architect of China's reform" should be allowed to gaze down on the glittering city his policies created has pitted Shenzhen residents against central government in Beijing.
Deng's widow is reported to be adamant that her husband's wishes in the matter be respected: Deng did not want cult status like Mao Zedong, who had towering statues of himself erected all across the country.
To underline his point, Deng issued instructions that his body be cremated, not preserved like Mao's for public viewing.
Still, the missing monument has marred celebrations in Shenzhen marking the 20th anniversary of Deng's "reform and opening" policies.
And the city, the first of Deng's coastal Special Economic Zones for foreign investment, has been robbed of a lofty muse for its ambitious plans to build a new Central Business District that one day will stretch out below Lotus Hill, site of the absent sculpture.
On the drawing board for the new downtown are a futuristic civic center, concert hall, library, greenhouses and a cascading waterfall of pyramids to be called "Crystal Island".
"We want to install Xiaoping's statue, but we must obey the Party center," said Shenzhen's Communist Party chief Zhang Gaoli, affectionately referring to Deng by his personal name.
In its lobbying efforts, Shenzhen has an ace card to play: during Deng's lifetime it put up the only public billboard in the whole country bearing his painting -- and Deng apparently did not object.
The problem is that if Shenzhen breaks ranks on the unofficial statue ban, other cities are sure to follow.
And nobody in Beijing wants a rash of Deng bronzes -- or for that matter, Deng pins and badges, paintings and busts to compete with Mao bric-a-brac popularly known as "Mao-morabilia".
"People in other places also greatly esteem and memorialize Xiaoping. They also want Xiaoping statues," said Zhang.
"But if Xiaoping's statue is installed everywhere, I don't think it is appropriate."
Shenzhen has sought to move mountains -- almost literally -- in its efforts to snag the rights to China's first and only Deng statue.
Lotus Hill originally stood 113 metres (370 feet) above sea level. Monument designers wanted to chop it down to a neater 100 metres (328 feet), but managed only to slice a fraction off the rocky summit and had to settle for an elevation of 105.5 metres (346 feet).
Atop the newly-flattened summit now stands the plinth on a sea of granite flagstones looking towards vacant building lots and the mountains of Hong Kong beyond.
The expansive site, accessed by a wide flight of stone steps and ramps for wheelchairs, is surrounded by ornamental stone walls and flower beds.
Everything is in place -- except the man himself. There is even a carved inscription in Deng's calligraphy praising Shenzhen's achievements.
Deng's eldest daughter, Deng Rong, was given a tour of the area last month -- and apparently liked it, according to Shenzhen sources. His widow, Zhuo Lin, was shown around but remained unmoved.
Former Premier Li Peng, now the head of parliament, has also hiked up the hill to take a look.
As for the statue, it is under wraps at a mystery location, ready to be unveiled on Beijing's say-so.
The bronze was designed in Beijing and cast in a Shanghai shipyard. City authorities first considered giving it a permanent home outside the train station, or the Grand Theatre, before settling on Lotus Mountain.
Now all plans are on hold, and while Zhang is at pains to stress his loyalty to the "Party center", his frustration shows.
"All Shenzhen people hope to install Deng's statue at this place," he said.
"Lotus Hill is a central area which could bring fortune and good luck."