Denmark's national symbol, the Little Mermaid sculpture overlooking Copenhagen's port, will likely head out to sea for the first time in nearly a century next year for a controversial visit to China.

The Copenhagen city council is expected to vote tomorrow to let the statue, inspired by a character created by Hans Christian Andersen in an 1837 fairytale, leave its historic perch to go on display at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.

The decision is contentious in Denmark, where Edvard Eriksen's 1913 sculpture, measuring 125 cm and weighing 175 kg, is considered a national heirloom and is today one of the Scandinavian country's main tourist attractions.