BEIJING — The Chinese have learned English from his speeches and celebrated the way he rolls up his sleeves. Now President Barack Obama is finally coming, and he is being greeted with “Oba Mao” T-shirts and a statue of him that bursts into flames.
The arrival Sunday of a U.S. president admired for his charisma is already a source of profit and brief fame for some Chinese.
Strangest is the burning Obama, tucked away in a Beijing warehouse. Artist Liu Bolin hopes Obama can take time from his visit to drop by.
“He’s so hot right now, so I wanted to translate that through my work,” said Liu, who was inspired by the idea of the first black U.S. president.
The bronze Obama bust is modeled on Time magazine’s “Man of the Year” cover and is speckled with holes for gas that ignites every couple of minutes. It’s a positive work, Liu said.
“Yes, setting something on fire can have negative connotations, but this piece represents energy and life that Obama has given to the world,” he said.
Beijing shop owner Liu Mingjie created “Oba Mao” T-shirts, with the president wearing the uniform of the Red Guards, who caused chaos during the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and ’70s.
He sold hundreds of the shirts, to both foreigners and Chinese, until authorities told shops selling the shirts to stop.
Obama will have no trouble being recognized in China. He has been the top-ranked foreigner in searches on Baidu, China’s leading search engine — No. 22 as of Thursday morning.
But it will take more than making United States history and winning a Nobel Peace Prize to make him a superstar.
“He’s special for the Americans, but definitely not for the Chinese,” said Shen Dingli, director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai. “On the contrary, we are always influenced by the tone of government-monitored media.”
That media, so far, has not played up Obama’s visit.
Obama’s itinerary
Today: Events in Tokyo, then travel to Singapore for the annual summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.
Sunday: Attend APEC meetings in Singapore and travel to Shanghai.
Monday: Events in Shanghai and travel to Beijing.
Tuesday: Events in Beijing.
Wednesday: Events in Beijing and travel to Seoul, South Korea.
Thursday: Events in Seoul and return to Washington.
