Lunar Lantern: The Rat

This glowing tower of nine, 2.8m tall, gold robotic rats speaks of great fortune for the Year of the Rat.

In Chinese culture, the Rat is a symbol of wealth and surplus and gold is a prestigious colour, signifying luck and prosperity. It also reflects 2020 as the year of the Metal Rat. Reminiscent of 1950s sci-fi robots, each animatronic rat has a wind-up key in its back and the Chinese symbol for good luck spinning on its chest. Depicting them as wind-up toys suggests their busy, inquisitive, industrious nature.

About the artist
Claudia Chan Shaw is an artist, author and designer for fashion label Vivian Chan Shaw. Her diverse career encompasses photography, curating, broadcasting and lecturing. She was co-host of the ABC’s popular TV program Collectors.

This is part of the Lunar Lantern walk which follows the Circular Quay foreshore, from Cadman’s Cottage to Sydney Opera House.

Don’t forget to download our Sydney Culture Walk app to make exploring the lanterns even easier!