Re: Loyal fans install 1st MJ statue in China (update:big success, photos posted on page 3!!)
For Huang Zhenhui and his team, a Michael Jackson statue is a dream come true.
And in recognition of this, these Guangzhou-based fans of the late "king of pop" received a letter from his youngest brother Randy Jackson.
"We're proud of you as fans for recognizing his (Michael's) true gifts and talents as an entertainer and a humanitarian."
"The dedication of a statue in Michael's honor is a true manifestation of your steadfast love, devotion and support, (and) for this we're humbly grateful," it reads.
The statue is a 2.3-meter high bronze in Guangzhou Sculpture Park, Guangdong province. Jackson's letter forms the inscription on its base.
Standing next to those of numerous historical figures and VIPs, the statue shows Jackson with his arms extended.
Huang, a 33-year-old event planner, fell for the Jackson magic in 1991. After the star's death in June 2009, he organized several memorial activities in the city. It was during a regular meeting with friends, mostly Jackson fans, in May 2010, at a bar near the sculpture park, that Huang came up with his idea of having a statue of Jackson in the park.
He recalls how his friends laughed at him then, pointing out the incongruity of having a popular foreign star featured in the largest sculpture park of the country.
"Even Elvis Presley hasn't been treated with that honor," they told him.
But one of them did let on that she knew artists at the Guangzhou Sculpture Institute. Huang tracked down Lu Zengkang, a sculptor with access to the park's officials, and told him of his interest.
Huang was clear from the beginning that the statue should be available for public viewing.
"We want to share Jackson's artistic achievements and charitable nature with whoever looks at it," he told Lu.
Huang was soon joined by 14 of his friends. While they had secured a place for, and a creator of, the statue, they still had to arrange the funding.
Huang turned to online fan forum of Michael Jackson Chinese Fanclub (MJJCN.com) to raise the required 158,000 yuan ($24,031). The team invited donations from fans nationwide and even launched an auction of Jackson collectibles, from some 350 fans.
But as Huang inched closer to realizing his dream, he found himself facing criticisms for wasting money.
His critics said the money could be put to better use and given to needy kids.
But Huang carried on and finally won them over.
On the day of the statue's unveiling in January, Jackson's former partner and musician, Howard McCrary, arrived from the United States and gave a performance for the 600 fans present.
The statue conveys a message of love, peace and tolerance, says its sculptor Lu.
http://www.china.org.cn/arts/2011-03/23/content_22207090.htm
