French artist Niko de La Faye poses with his kinetic sculpture - M2B in Beijing. Mathias Megg / For China Daily

"That's what happens," de la Faye says. "There are so many different reactions to it: Some people look up. Some people look down. Some smile. Some are just surprised."

He recalls that in Jinan, the provincial capital of Shandong province, a doctor looked at the sculpture and immediately recognized that it represented the universe.

"In contrast, in a small county in the province, an old lady passed by and said, 'Hello! Are you selling vegetables?' That was the most interesting reaction we had," he says.

De la Faye traveled with Shi Yang, a 25-year-old graduate from the Central Academy of Fine Arts. They both wore gray suits with a M2B logo and took just two small suitcases with them.

"She brought a lot of good things to this project because she is Chinese, a sculptor, and is young and creative," he comments.

The only hiccup on the trip, he says, was a problem with the brakes.