Video installation to stand in for Little Mermaid

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has been chosen by the Danish government to design a replacement for the Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen as it goes on display at the Shanghai World Expo in 2010, CRI reports.

According to the Ministry of Economic and Business Affairs, a video installation will be set up in the location where the statue currently sits for the duration of its six months' stay in Shanghai.

Ai Weiwei, 52, served as the Chinese program consultant for the design of the Olympic National Stadium in Beijing. His artwork is to reflect the connection between China and Denmark, CRI says.

The Little Mermaid, one of Copenhagen's most famous landmarks, was inspired by a fairy tale of the same name by H.C. Andersen. It is scheduled to arrive in China next April.