A Mid-Autumn Night's Dream or nightmare? Rabbit at Chinatown Point gets a proper face following complaints

Is this decoration supposed to be for the Mid-Autumn Festival or the Hungry Ghost Festival?

Those who frequent Chinatown Point have been greeted by this statue of a faceless rabbit right outside the mall's entrance in recent days.

For the uninitiated, the jade rabbit is a companion of moon goddess Chang'e in Chinese folklore.

But this faceless rendition of the mythical creature is too spooky for some shoppers to be considered part of the festivities.

Speaking to Shin Min Daily News on Aug 26, 40-year-old Lai shared that the decor was too modern and unconventional for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Another member of the public, surnamed Lin, felt that the rabbit needed some facial features to be cute.

But there is a reason behind this faceless rabbit statue.

Taking to Facebook on Aug 29, Chinatown Point called for the public to "design the rabbit", and said that the best entry will win $100 worth of FairPrice vouchers. The winning design would "come alive" after Sept 1.

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From the adorable to the derpy, creative Singaporeans gave it a go for the competition.

Now, the rabbit has a face, just in time for the occasion.

One design — a bright-eyed bunny with a crescent moon and five stars its forehead — was emerged tops among 106 entries, a Chinatown Point spokesperson told Lianhe Zaobao.

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In 2019, members of the public also complained that a lantern of Chang'e in Chinatown looked too androgynous for their liking.

"If it weren't for the white rabbit she held in her right hand, I wouldn't have thought that the figure was Chang'e," a passer-by said at the time.

The two-storey-tall lantern was later given "plastic surgery" overnight to sport more feminine features.

chingshijie@asiaone.com