Madame Tussaud's International is currently in discussions about the possibility of setting up a wax museum in Shanghai.

"We are delighted with the opportunity offered by Shanghai and its breathtaking market and economic growth, and look forward to announcing further details regarding our exciting plan in the very future," Edward Fuller, general manager of Madame Tussaud's Hong Kong, told Shanghai Daily Tuesday by phone.

He declined to provide any details about the local project, but according to sources involved in the discussion, the museum would be located near People's Square, and could open by the end of this year.

Madame Tussaud's first wax museum was set up in London more than 100 years ago, and the company now has museums in Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Las Vegas and New York.

The museums were first created by French sculpture Marie Grosholtz (1761-1850), who was later known as Madame Tussaud.

She started the first museum in the early 1800s as a collection of death masks of French aristocrats who had been executed on the guillotine.

The current museums include wax models of well-known sports personalities, musicians, film stars and statesmen from around the world.

Its Hong Kong branch, which opened in 2000, features about 100 wax figures of international and local celebrities, including President Hu Jintao, Hong Kong pop star Andy Lau, soccer star David Beckham, and Shanghai's NBA star Yao Ming.

(eastday.com March 9, 2005)