Chinese Consul General donates statue of Karl Marx and provides funding to install it worth €105,000 EUR to Trier

Project narrative

In February 2015, the Chinese Consul General in Frankfurt offered to donate a state of Karl Marx, a 19th century German philosopher, on behalf of the People's Republic of China to the German city of Trier. Marx, a co-author of the Communist Manifesto, was born in Trier and lived there until he was seventeen years old. China told Trier city officials that they were offering the statue to honor the bicentennial of Marx's birth in 1818, and to symbolize strong ties between China and Germany. Wu Weishan, a Chinese sculptor and director of the National Museum of China, would design the statue. In January 2016, Trier announced the planned statue to the public, and that Weishan would visit Trier along with a Chinese State Council member to discuss potential sites. Some German residents had proposed that Marx be depicted as a child, seated on a bench in a small square, where people could sit beside him. Weishan visited the square and said it was too small, and that Marx should be depicted as a large, heroic adult in the city's main square, Simeonstiftplatz. Marx's status in Germany is controversial, with some in the country blaming the philosopher's ideas for the rise of Communist dictators, the Berlin Wall and subsequent Cold War division. China's involvement is also controversial, with some Germans concerned about accepting the gift amidst allegations of human rights violations in China. Nonetheless, on March 13, 2017, the majority of the Trier city council (42-7) voted to accept the gift from China, with some stipulations about size and location. On March 29, the artist and Trier city officials negotiated the size and location further, as well as the cost of transport installation. The bronze statue ultimately weighed 2.3 metric tons and stood 16.4 feet tall. In addition to donating the statue and its transport to Trier, the Chinese government agreed to cover about two-thirds of the cost of a pedestal for the statue and its installation, estimated at €105,000 EUR. Trier's share of the costs for excavation, soil testing, foundation, paving and lighting amounted to €39,000 EUR. In early March 2018, the statue was flown from Beijing to Frankfurt and then transported to Trier. On April 13, 2018, the statue was erected in a large square in the city center near the Porta Nigra attraction. It was unveiled on May 5, 2018, on Marx's 200th birthday. Trier was already a popular destination for Chinese tourists interested in seeing Marx's birthplace, and the statue was expected to further increase such tourism. The statue remains a subject of controversy.