San Francisco Frontiers - Chinese artist cashes in on Buddha-like Trump statues

Cross-legged with his eyes half-closed in a pose evoking the Buddha, this porcelain version of America's divisive leader-in-waiting is the work of designer and sculptor Hong Jinshi.

The Zen-like figures -- which Hong sells for between 999 and 20,000 yuan (about $140 to $2,700) depending on their size -- first went viral in 2021 on the e-commerce platform Taobao, attracting national headlines.

And ahead of the real estate magnate's inauguration for a second term, they have become hot property again.

"In the days after he won the election there was a lot of interest," said Hong, who originally designed the statues as a joke.

"Politicians are normally so boring, while (Trump) is this massive online figure who often says fantastical things," he told AFP.

Hong, 47, estimates that he has shifted hundreds of the ceramic creations in the last few years.

They raise a smile among customers because Trump's "personality and the shape of the statue are two opposite extremes", he said.

Each figure comes in packaging emblazoned with a Chinese phrase that translates to "Make your company great again", a play on Trump's well-worn slogan for restoring American supremacy.

Copycat versions have even appeared on shopping platforms in the United States -- including Amazon and Chinese-owned Temu -- for up to $45.

- Little rocket man -

"It's a good laugh to poke some fun at authority figures and famous people," said Hong, sitting barefoot on the floor of his minimalist studio.

Hong's loose white clothing, shaved head, and softly spoken nature bear little resemblance to the eccentric subjects of his sculpting.

He recently began designing a similarly tongue-in-cheek effigy of another American luminary: Trump backer Elon Musk, who seems set to play a major role in his administration.

The statue casts the controversial billionaire in the style of the Marvel superhero Iron Man, clad in a rippling suit of metal armour.

In Hong's version, though, a large rocket protrudes from Musk's groin to symbolise the SpaceX CEO's galactic ambitions.

Despite toeing the line between homage and offence, Hong said he has a lot of admiration for Musk, whose electric-vehicle company Tesla operates a massive factory in Shanghai and enjoys robust sales in China.

"Musk's rockets are awesome -- he's brought the price of rockets down a lot," he told AFP.

"He has done, as an individual entrepreneur, what an entire country can't even do."

- Zen and the art of the deal -

Hong declined to comment on Trump's policies towards China, a sensitive topic in the Asian nation.

But many expect relations with the United States to deteriorate further after Trump's inauguration on January 20.

On the campaign trail, Trump took a tough line on Beijing, vowing even higher tariffs on Chinese imports.

He previously imposed onerous levies during a bruising trade war in his first term -- measures largely preserved by his successor Joe Biden.

Trump also angered Chinese leaders with his brash rhetoric, notably blaming Beijing for the decline of American manufacturing and calling the pathogen that causes Covid-19 the "Chinese virus".

Yet the 78-year-old still appears to have many admirers in China.

"I still think he's just as funny (as before)", said Hong. "Every day there's interesting news when he's president."

Despite the renewed interest, Hong no longer sells his Trump statues on Chinese sites after they removed his listings -- perhaps, he said, because they were deemed insulting to Buddhists.

Still, orders keep rolling in from tourists who visit Hong's workshop, as well as from friends and acquaintances.

"Now he's been elected again, the sculpture has exploded in popularity once more," Hong said.

Perhaps, he added, it was because "Trump is someone with a lot of backstory".

S.Jackson--SFF