China to make 'Little Mermaid' stand-in - Danish official

A "modern" Chinese interpretation of the Little Mermaid will overlook Copenhagen's port while the iconic fairytale sculpture is in Shanghai for next year's World Expo, according to an official said.

The Chinese version will stand in while the Danish national treasure makes its controversial trip as the centrepiece of the country's pavilion, said Jing Ipland, the liaison officer for Denmark's Expo Secretariat.

"The Little Mermaid has decided to come to Shanghai, but it might be disappointing for all the tourists to Denmark and to the Danish people," Ms Ipland said.

"So the idea came up that it would be good to have this exchange sculpture from China," she said, adding that the new-look statue would be an "extraordinary surprise".

Copenhagen's city council last week approved sending the Danish sculpture to China from April to November 2010 in the face of vocal opposition, with prominent officials arguing the move could hurt tourism.

A recent poll indicated 60 per cent of Danes opposed allowing the statue, inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's 1837 fairytale, to leave the city.

In Shanghai, the sculpture will be set in the centre of a large pool of water from the Copenhagen port to show it is clean enough for swimming, Danish officials have said.

Ms Ipland said several Chinese artists have submitted proposals but no decision had been made on the final design. She was coy about how the Chinese Little Mermaid might look.

"It will be an extraordinary surprise to everyone," she said. "It will have new, modern ideas in it."

Danish Crown Prince Frederik will visit Shanghai in May to unveil the Chinese design, she said.