傳遞愛與和平的黃色小鴨(Rubber Duck)於9月19日進駐高雄光榮碼頭，吸引大批賞鴨人潮，繼美聯社、法新社等外國媒體爭相報導開幕盛況，CNN旅遊網也於9月24日在官方網站上大篇幅介紹。

高雄市政府新聞局長賴瑞隆接受CNN記者Maggie訪問時表示，高雄以無比熱忱打動設計者霍夫曼，促成黃色小鴨台灣首站高雄的盛事，預估將吸引超過300萬人次湧入光榮碼頭一睹小鴨魅力。

CNN旅遊網官方網站首頁上，以「Giant duck conquers Taiwan」作為頭條新聞，大篇幅介紹黃色小鴨落腳高雄的契機與展出盛況，並引用2張高市府提供的照片。報導中指出，黃色小鴨於高雄展出是台灣的盛事， 超可愛的黃色小鴨24小時駐守光榮碼頭，短短五天已有50萬人次湧入高雄賞鴨，至10月20日為期一個月的展出可望帶來超過10億元的觀光效益。

賴瑞隆告訴CNN記者，身高18公尺的黃色小鴨完全MIT，規格超越霍夫曼的要求，完全充飽氣只需要7分鐘。市府團隊與相關技術人員已針對各種情況擬定緊 急因應措施，尤其瞭解到黃色小鴨在香港與北京展出均曾遭遇一些次要的技術問題，因此每個環節都至少測試3次，以確保展出期間小鴨的安全，未來市府團隊也會 與台灣其他展出城市交流經驗與技術，持續傳遞小鴨愛與和平的信念。

賴瑞隆進一步指出，2009年黃色小鴨於日本大阪展出時就已經引起市府團隊的關注，今年6月小鴨移師香港亮相，市府團隊除率團親赴香港洽談，陳菊市長也親筆致函爭取，最後高雄以熱情的城市印象，在全球300多座城市、國內20多個單位中脫穎而出，成為小鴨來台首站城市。

【Nownews2013/9/25】

CNN原文>>

Giant duck conquers Taiwan

(CNN) -- What could possibly draw 500,000 spectators to a Taiwan harbor front in the midst of typhoon Usagi threats?

A giant inflatable rubber duck, of course.

After stirring up a duck craze in Hong Kong in May and June, the 18-meter inflatable duck created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman arrived at Kaohsiung City in southern Taiwan last Thursday.

Some 500,000 people showed up to see the duck within five days, including on Saturday, when officials suspended the exhibition due to the expected arrival of Usagi.

Kaohsiung City's love affair with the bird was kindled in 2009 when government officials went to see it on show in Osaka.

"When we found out the rubber duck was coming to Hong Kong this year, we sent Hofman photos of Kaohsiung City and our mayor sent him a letter," said Zeno Lai, director general of the Kaohsiung Government Information Bureau and also the event's spokesperson.

"By the time we met Hofman in Hong Kong in June, he said more than 300 cities had contacted him for the next exhibition, including more than 20 cities in Taiwan," said Lai.

How Kaohsiung City won the duck's heart

According to Lai, Hofman was persuaded to bring his rubber duck to Kaohsiung by the city's tremendous enthusiasm for the unusual display.

Hofman has been gratified by the royal treatment he and his duck have received in Kaohsiung, said Lai.

"We understand there were minor technical issues with the duck when it was in Hong Kong and Beijing, so we tested everything at least three times," said Lai.

"We have already drafted emergency plans in case of bad weather or of harm being inflicted by visitors."

The duck, which had to be assembled in Taiwan rather than floated all the way there or flown, is inflated by a new air pump made by the Kaohsiung event team.

"The rubber duck usually takes more than an hour to be inflated," said Lai. "But in Kaohsiung, it only takes seven minutes."

The team has promised to pass on its new techniques and any lessons learned to other Taiwanese cities set to receive the duck.

The yellow bird will be docked at Kaohsiung City until October 20, before floating to Taoyuan and Keelung in northern Taiwan (that's apparently not too far for a big duck to float) later this year.

The spectacle is expected to lure more than 3 million visitors to the harbor and generate tens of millions of dollars in revenue for the city.

Kaohsiung City has a population of about 2.3 million people, so many spectators from outside the city will be making the trek just for the duck.

After the duck's first week in the city, final attendance figures are likely to exceed initial estimates.

Find more on Hofman and his famed fowl at the duck's official website.

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