Chinese garage kit artist Animal Kingdom, who came across Meetissai’s tweet, saw an opportunity. The two agreed to team up to produce more hand-made cat figures and sell them in China. Animal Kingdom says all proceeds from the country will go to a charity in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak. A store on Alibaba’s shopping site Taobao started taking preorders Wednesday.“This outbreak is really serious and we hope that this product can be a memento for everyone,” Animal Kingdom told Abacus. “We hope that when people see it, they’ll remember not to kill wild animals anymore.”
The consumption of wildlife in China, a centuries-old practice, has been blamed for the current outbreak. Many initial infections were traced back to a seafood market in Wuhan that also sold exotic animals such as snakes and civets. The Chinese government is now considering a ban on breeding and eating wild animals.Animal Kingdom and Meetissai aren’t the only ones to find creative inspiration amid one of China’s deadliest disease outbreak since the 2003 Sars epidemic. Chinese Minecraft players have meticulously recreated two real-life hospitals in the sandbox game. The buildings were famously erected in Wuhan in a matter of days to cope with the surge in patients. The Minecraft team in China also built a virtual coronavirus information center to educate gamers.Purchase the China AI Report 2020 brought to you by SCMP Research and enjoy a 20% discount (original price US$400). This 60-page all new intelligence report gives you first-hand insights and analysis into the latest industry developments and intelligence about China AI. Get exclusive access to our webinars for continuous learning, and interact with China AI executives in live Q&A. Offer valid until 31 March 2020.
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