Via Ron Yu (thanks, Ron!) we have received news of an affront to Egypt's avowed policy (see earlier Afro-IP post here) on the protection of its most celebrated cultural assets -- including the Great Sphinx of Giza. A giant replica of the Sphinx has been erected in China, in the Shijiazhuang district of Hebei. Measuring 60 x 20 metres, this replica resulted in Egypt filing a complaint to UNESCO against China. The complaint asserts that the reproduction is inaccurate -- which could actually work to China's benefit in that the Egyptian law (which does not apply in China) only sought to address exact likenesses.
There has been a sequel. The Chinese authorities are now reported to have agreed to destroy the replica which, mysteriously has in this report grown to 80 x 30 metres.
