A statue with true relativity

By Zou Qi  |   2008-6-6  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

AN IMPOSING statue of the head of Albert Einstein was unveiled at the Shanghai Sculpture Space yesterday to commemorate the scientist's special relationship with the city.

Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder attended the opening ceremony for the 2.8-meter-high statue.

"Shanghai is an ideal city for placement of the Albert Einstein statue," Schroeder said.

It was designed by Tang Shichu, a noted sculptor from Sichuan Province who said the statue took him two years to complete.

He made a small version at first and then the statue was finished in the Shanghai Shipyard, working on the model.

"It's one of the most challenging works I have ever made," Tang said, noting that the statue will eventually be placed on Fuzhou Road near the Bund when the area's face-lift is completed by 2010.

The idea of the Einstein statue was supported by both the German and Shanghai sides.

Einstein and his wife first arrived in Shanghai by ship on November 13, 1922. Upon arrival he was told that he had won the Nobel Prize for Physics. The next day they headed to Japan on the same ship.

On December 31, 1923, Einstein returned to Shanghai for the second and last time. The next day, he delivered a speech at a city hall on Fuzhou Road to introduce his Theory of Relativity to local people.

Many Chinese scientists were encouraged by Einstein. Officials said yesterday that the statue of Einstein aims to mark his achievements in introducing modern physics theory to China.