By Li Hongmei

Since the famous giant yellow duck, currently perched in Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor, made a name worldwide, imitations of the giant yellow duck have sprung up all across China to cash in on the craze, according to media report.

The 16.5-meter yellow duck designed by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman has already toured cities from Sydney to Sao Paulo and will reportedly remain afloat at Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour until June 9. The duck's next stop, according to Hofman, is the United States.

Shortly before China's June 1 Children's Day, however, sightings of the yellow duck have popped up all across the mainland, from Hangzhou, Foshan and Tianjin to Chongqing, Wuhu and Wuxi. The ducks are generally all crude imitations that measure no more than 6 meters in height.

On Friday in Wuhan, the capital of central Hubei province, residents were excited to read reports that a giant yellow duck would be visiting a local scenic area, thereby sparing them a costly trip to Hong Kong. Unfortunately, the duck visitors ended up seeing was a barely 6-meter-tall "mini duck."

The Wuhan duck was said to have been brought to the city as part of an arrangement brokered between Chinese real-estate developer Country Garden and the duck's copyright owner, though Hofman has denied making any arrangements with the developer.

"The rumors are false," Hofman told the Wall Street Journal. "If people want the real duck, they have to come to me."

A Guangzhou-based inflatable goods manufacturer told the Changjiang Daily that a 3-meter-tall inflatable duck costs only several thousands yuan, while a 6-meter duck would cost more than 10,000 yuan (US$1,600).

Meanwhile, debates arise from not only scholars but also the general public, some denouncing the imitations of the giant yellow duck as an illegal behavior accused of copyright infringement.