Giant Rubber Duck to swim in Beijing's imperial Summer Palace?

One country, two ducks!

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The announcement of the duck's arrival. Screenshot from Sina Weibo.

Published: 12:25pm, 8 Aug 2013Updated: 7:02pm, 8 Aug 2013

Beijing's own much anticipated giant yellow duck is set to float on Kunming Lake, news reports said, but organisers have declined to confirm the location and end the recent speculation.

The lake, which is part of the former imperial Summer Palace was chosen as a venue for Beijing's version of Hong Kong's giant Rubber Duck, which floated in Victoria Harbour earlier this year, organisers of Beijing Design Week said on Thursday in a microblog post.

Later on Thursday, the organisers told the People's Daily Online that the location of the duck had not been decided yet, saying that earlier news reports were not official statements.

The duck will appear in Beijing on September 16, the China News Service agency said, citing the organisation committee. It is unclear how large the duck will be, but it is expected to exceed the size of its Hong Kong counterpart.

Giant rubber toys should not been politicised, according to creator Florentijin Hofman. "The Rubber Duck knows no frontiers, it doesn't discriminate [against] people and doesn't have a political connotation," he writes on his website.

The Dutch conceptual artist, who has been creating super-sized bathtub companions since 2007, had signed an agreement with Beijing Design Week in June to bring an "original" duck to Beijing.