People walk at the square in front of a Wangfujing Department Store building in Beijing, Dec 11, 2012. [Huang Xiaobing / Asianewsphoto]

A sculpture of a half-naked teenager on display in Beijing's Wangfujing shopping area has sparked a heated online debate over art and public decency. Beijing Times commented on Friday:

Wangfujing's shopping center is not alone in displaying sculptures depicting naked men or women, as many Chinese cities have done the same in public places in recent years, even though many citizens find them inappropriate, even a bit offensive.

In most instances, the displays are simply a stunt to attract more customers.

True, good sculptures can be a bonus to a city's image, but it seems the one displayed in Wangfujing is not one of them.

In fact, such sculptures are better displayed in museums, not random shopping malls where only a few shoppers can appreciate them.

In Northwest China's Shaanxi province, a few male tourists reportedly posed beside a half-naked sculpture portraying Yang Guifei, the concubine of an emperor in the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), with their hands on her "breasts". Such indecency is not in line with public order, and serves as a bad example to teenagers.