( CNN ) -- What could possibly draw 500,000 spectators to a Taiwan harbor front in the midst of typhoon Usagi threats ? A giant inflatable rubber duck , of course . After stirring up a duck craze in Hong Kong in May and June , the 18-meter inflatable duck created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman arrived at Kaohsiung City in southern Taiwan last Thursday . Some 500,000 people showed up to see the duck within five days , including on Saturday , when officials suspended the exhibition due to the expected arrival of Usagi . Kaohsiung City 's love affair with the bird was kindled in 2009 when government officials went to see it on show in Osaka . More : 40 Taiwanese foods we ca n't live without . `` When we found out the rubber duck was coming to Hong Kong this year , we sent Hofman photos of Kaohsiung City and our mayor sent him a letter , '' said Zeno Lai , director general of the Kaohsiung Government Information Bureau and also the event 's spokesperson . `` By the time we met Hofman in Hong Kong in June , he said more than 300 cities had contacted him for the next exhibition , including more than 20 cities in Taiwan , '' said Lai . How Kaohsiung City won the duck 's heart . According to Lai , Hofman was persuaded to bring his rubber duck to Kaohsiung by the city 's tremendous enthusiasm for the unusual display . Hofman has been gratified by the royal treatment he and his duck have received in Kaohsiung , said Lai . `` We understand there were minor technical issues with the duck when it was in Hong Kong and Beijing , so we tested everything at least three times , '' said Lai . `` We have already drafted emergency plans in case of bad weather or of harm being inflicted by visitors . '' More : Fowl play ? Giant rubber duck drowns in Hong Kong . The duck , which had to be assembled in Taiwan rather than floated all the way there or flown , is inflated by a new air pump made by the Kaohsiung event team . `` The rubber duck usually takes more than an hour to be inflated , '' said Lai . `` But in Kaohsiung , it only takes seven minutes . '' The team has promised to pass on its new techniques and any lessons learned to other Taiwanese cities set to receive the duck . The yellow bird will be docked at Kaohsiung City until October 20 , before floating to Taoyuan and Keelung in northern Taiwan ( that 's apparently not too far for a big duck to float ) later this year . The spectacle is expected to lure more than 3 million visitors to the harbor and generate tens of millions of dollars in revenue for the city . Kaohsiung City has a population of about 2.3 million people , so many spectators from outside the city will be making the trek just for the duck . After the duck 's first week in the city , final attendance figures are likely to exceed initial estimates . Find more on Hofman and his famed fowl at the duck 's official website . More : How the big rubber duck was born .
Dutch ##man Florentijn Hofman 's giant rubber duck tour exhibition in Taiwan . Taiwanese company has impressed Hofman with new pumping technology that inflates duck in 10 minutes . Exhibition expected to draw more than 1 million visitors and generate $ 1 million in revenue .