A new Chinese-designed "mermaid'' will swap places with the "Little Mermaid'' when Denmark's famed statue travels to Shanghai for the 2010 World Expo.

當丹麥舉世聞名的雕像「小美人魚」2010年將到上海參加世界博覽會時，一個由中國設計的新「美人魚」將和這個「小美人魚」易地而處。

China's State media reports quoted John Hansen, Denmark's chief Expo organizer, as saying the design competition for the Chinese statue has drawn four entries, with more expected. All were satisfactory, Hansen said, without giving details. "The final problem for us might be that we get too many attractive proposals,'' Hansen was quoted as saying.

中國官方媒體引述丹麥世博主辦單位負責人韓森的話說，已有4件中國「美人魚」雕像設計作品參賽，預料應會有更多參賽者。韓森說，所有參賽作品都很令人滿意，但未詳述細節。報導引述韓森的話說：「最後我們可能反而要擔心，好作品太多，恐有遺珠之憾。」

The swap is part of an agreement by Copenhagen to allow the Little Mermaid statue to leave its perch in the city's harbor for the first time since it was installed in 1913 (photo, AP). The Little Mermaid, inspired by the Hans Christian Andersen 1837 fairy tale, is one of Denmark's biggest tourist attractions.

這項交換計畫是哥本哈根協議的一環，根據這項協議，小美人魚雕像將是自1913年安裝後，首次離開她所棲息的哥本哈根港口（見圖，美聯社）。小美人魚是受安徒生1837年的童話故事啟發，早已成為丹麥最大旅遊景點。

The vote by the Copenhagen city council to send the bronze statue by Edvard Eriksen in 1913 to Shanghai April next year drew some criticism from Danes who objected to seeing her leave Langelinie pier. The decision is contentious in Denmark, where Edvard Eriksen's 1913 sculpture, measuring 125 cm and weighing 175 kilos, is considered a national treasure.

哥本哈根市議會最近投票通過，明年4月送丹麥雕刻家愛德華．艾瑞克森雕塑的小美人魚銅像到上海，已經引起部分丹麥人批評，他們反對她離開朗格寧海灣。這項決定引起丹麥極大的爭議，因為艾瑞克森1913年雕塑的小美人魚銅像，高125公分，重175公斤，公認是丹麥國寶。

After three counterproposals and nearly an hour of debate, the Copenhagen city council approved sending the iconic statue to the 2010 Shanghai World Expo by a vote of 36 for and 12 against, with two abstentions. The vote allows the statue to leave the city from April to November 2010 and head to China.

哥本哈根市議會在提出三項反提案，並辯論近一個鐘頭後，以36票贊成、12票反對，兩票棄權，通過送這個代表丹麥形象的雕像去參加2010年上海世博會。這次投票將准許雕像從2010年4月到11月離開哥本哈根到中國。

Social Democratic member of the city council Hamid Mousti said the Little Mermaid "will not feel homesick on her voyage because she will be in her natural element, bathed in water from Copenhagen port to show off that the water is clean enough to swim in."

哥本哈根市議會社會民主黨議員穆斯提說，小美人魚「旅途中應該不會想家，因為她會留在自然元素中，沐浴在哥本哈根港口的水中，以證明水乾淨澄澈，甚至可以在裡頭游泳。」

Denmark plans to make the statue, sitting atop a pool of water, the centerpiece of its pavilion at the Shanghai Expo, which begins May 1, 2010, and will run for six months. The Expo is expected to draw up to 70 million visitors. Danish officials say they expect the mermaid statue will help raise their nation's profile among Chinese.

丹麥計畫讓這尊小美人魚塑像坐在池水上面，這池水也將是明年5月1日開始、為期6個月的上海世博會丹麥展覽館的核心。上海世博料將吸引7千萬人參觀。丹麥官員稱，這尊小美人魚雕像將有助於提升丹麥在中國人心目中的地位。

Shanghai Expo officials said recently that the event was moving ahead as planned, noting Denmark's progress in developing its pavilion, despite difficulties among some countries in raising funds to build and operate their exhibits. Denmark, among 232 countries and organizations expected to stage Expo exhibits, plans to let visitors ride bicycles around the pavilion's pool or picnic on its roof garden.

上海世博人員日前表示，這次盛會正按計畫進行，儘管有些國家在募款興建和安排他們的展示品上遇到困難，丹麥館正按進度推動。在參展的232個國家和組織中，丹麥計畫讓遊客繞著展覽館的池子騎單車，或在屋頂花園野餐。

Given the tight security imposed in China for all events, the Little Mermaid is likely to be safe from the kind of damage and abuse it has suffered over the years. It has been draped in a Muslim dress and head scarf, doused with paint, beheaded twice and otherwise vandalized and repaired repeatedly.

從中國在主辦任何活動上安全措施滴水不漏看來，小美人魚應不至於遭到多年來常受到的種種毀損和破壞。小美人魚曾被披上穆斯林袍子和頭巾，被潑漆，兩度被斷頭，還不斷被肆意摧殘和修復。

According to a recent poll however, six out of 10 Danes think the sculpture should stay at home. Carl Christian Ebbesen, a city council member from the far-right Danish People's Party, a fierce opponent of letting the Little Mermaid leave the capital, described the idea as "insane". Instead of sending the beloved sculpture to Shanghai, Ebbesen said the city should consider sending a copy or possibly the statue of Hans Christian Andersen, "because the Chinese are very enamored with our legendary storyteller."

根據最近民調，每10個丹麥人有6個認為雕像應留在家裡。丹麥極右派人民黨市議員艾伯森強烈反對小美人魚離開丹麥首都，他形容這個構想簡直「瘋了」。艾伯森認為，與其送人見人愛的雕像到上海，不如送個複製品，或者也許送安徒生雕像，「因為中國人也很崇拜我們這位傳奇作家。」