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A typical case against a fake granite "Yellow River Mother" sculpture was recently brought to court in northwest China's Shaanxi Province by its original maker.

He E, a noted Chinese woman sculptor from northwestern Gansu province, claimed that a copy of the Yellow River Mother has been on a scenic island in neighboring Shaanxi province since September last year.

Tickets are sold to tourists who come to visit and worship the sculpture, according to the eminent sculptor, a practice which she claims blasphemes the deep love of the Chinese people for the Yellow River.

"It is a symbol of Chinese patriotism, and should not be used to make money," the woman sculptor said.

Completed in 1986, the large granite sculpture Yellow River Mother is one of sculptor He E's masterpieces. Standing for 17 straight years by the Yellow River bank in historical Lanzhou, capital of Gansu Province, it has become a city image and a mental symbol of the Chinese people's affection for the river. And it has been frequented by thousands of tourists every year.

Unfortunately, as the sculpture became famed and popular, some people began to copy it and use its image to make money. Fake Yellow River Mothers appeared occasionally on postcards, lottery tickets and seals.

"The illegal copying of the sculpture negatively affects the people in China, so it has to be stopped," the sculptor said.