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| Beloved Yellow Rubber Duck Returns to Kaohsiung |
◎Written by Li Guei-sian
◎Translation by Lin Yu-ciao
◎Photo by Huang Jing-wun
◎Photos courtesy of Kaohsiung City Government
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The yellow Rubber Duck is back! To welcome the duck on its long-awaited return, Kaohsiung City Government has created the “I Love Kaohsiung Duck（我就愛高雄ㄚ）” Facebook group. In less than a month, it has attracted nearly 20,000 fans, with netizens sharing photos of themselves with the duck from ten years ago, reliving joyful moments of the past.
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| Photo courtesy of Kaohsiung City Government. |
From now until February 25, the globally popular yellow duck — and a raft of smaller replicas — are on display at the 2024 Kaohsiung Wonderland Winter Amusement Park, as part of the Kaohsiung Lantern Festival at Kaohsiung Port piers numbers 16 to 18. They have become the stars of Love River Bay（愛河灣）, accompanied by large-scale inflatable artworks, photo-worthy installations, food markets, inflatable amusement facilities, children's theater troupes, circus performances, and other activities designed to bring joy to the duck's fans during the festive Lunar New Year period.
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| Photo courtesy of Kaohsiung City Government |
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| Photo by Huang Jing-wun |
Created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, the Rubber Duck made its first appearance in Taiwan at Kaohsiung's Glory Pier（光榮碼頭）in 2013. During its month-long stay, it attracted 3.9 million visitors and generated over NT$1 billion in tourism revenue. Since then, the redevelopment of Asia's New Bay Area and the completion early this year of the Light Rail (LRT) system have transformed the cityscape. Because Kaohsiung has emerged as a southern gateway for culture and technology, the return of the yellow duck holds special significance against this backdrop of transformation.
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The duck brings a joyful and warm atmosphere, filling Kaohsiung's winter with a healing shade of yellow. Several hotels and tourism businesses are offering discounts and packages.
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For the duration of the event, the city government has also introduced a duck-themed train on Kaohsiung Metro's Circular LRT line. Creatively adorned both inside and out, the sky-blue train carriages feature the ultra-cute smiling face of the duck on its front, captivating passengers and passersby. Mayor Chen Chi-mai（陳其邁）, who has called the LRT an excellent choice for urban tourism and sustainable green travel, welcomes everyone to ride the duck-themed LRT train this Lunar New Year, and to roam around Kaohsiung, enjoying the warmth of the winter and witnessing the city's progress.
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“I Love Kaohsiung Duck” Facebook Group Light Rail Yellow Duck Painted Train
Train Number: KLRT-24
Download the Kaohsiung iBus app to check the train timetable
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我就愛高雄ㄚ社團QR
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