Row over hanging dummy

An ad billboard has caused outrage in a Chinese city by featuring what appears to be a man hanging from a rope. The advertisement, on top of the Yinji Shopping Mall in Zhengzhou, actually features a mannequin hanging from the top of the billboard.

In a reference to the global financial crisis, it reads: "It's better to invest money here than put it into the stock market."

But residents thought it was a real suicide and say children as young as eight were terrified.



After receiving complaints, the local industry and trade bureau has now stepped in and taken down the mannequin. "Without the hanging man, it's really not that shocking," said the deputy director of the bureau.

Jiang Chengpu, the creative director behind the ad, says the aim was to catch people's attention, not to terrify them.

"We are making fun of the depressing stock market here. And the place the mannequin is hanging is right next to the stock index line," he said.