Fuwa 2008 Beijing Official Mascots

[Emi Chan]

08/08/08 Allow me to introduce the Olympic Mascots for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The Official Beijing Olympic Website http://en.beijing2008.cn/ Like the Five Olympic Rings from which they draw their color and inspiration, Fuwa will serve as the Official Mascots of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, carrying a message of friendship and peace -- and good wishes from China -- to children all over the world. Designed to express the playful qualities of five little children who form an intimate circle of friends, Fuwa also embody the natural characteristics of four of China's most popular animals -- the Fish, the Panda, the Tibetan Antelope, the Swallow -- and the Olympic Flame. Each of Fuwa has a rhyming two-syllable name -- a traditional way of expressing affection for children in China. Beibei is the Fish, Jingjing is the Panda, Huanhuan is the Olympic Flame, Yingying is the Tibetan Antelope and Nini is the Swallow. When you put their names together -- Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni -- they say "Welcome to Beijing," offering a warm invitation that reflects the mission of Fuwa as young ambassadors for the Olympic Games. Fuwa also embody both the landscape and the dreams and aspirations of people from every part of the vast country of China. In their origins and their headpieces, you can see the five elements of nature -- the sea, forest, fire, earth and sky -- all stylistically rendered in ways that represent the deep traditional influences of Chinese folk art and ornamentation. Spreading Traditional Chinese Good Wishes Wherever They Go In the ancient culture of China, there is a grand tradition of spreading good wishes through signs and symbols. Each of Fuwa symbolizes a different blessing -- and will honor this tradition by carrying their good wishes to the children of the world. Prosperity, happiness, passion, health and good luck will be spread to every continent as Fuwa carry their invitation to Beijing 2008 to every part of the globe. At the heart of their mission -- and through all of their work -- Fuwa will seek to unite the world in peace and friendship through the Olympic spirit. Dedicated to helping Beijing 2008 spread its theme of One World, One Dream to every continent, Fuwa reflect the deep desire of the Chinese people to reach out to the world in friendship through the Games -- and to invite every man, woman and child to take part in the great celebration of human solidarity that China will host in the light of the flame in 2008. Beibei In China's traditional culture and art, the fish and water designs are symbols of prosperity and harvest. And so Beibei carries the blessing of prosperity. A fish is also a symbol of surplus in Chinese culture, another measure of a good year and a good life. The ornamental lines of the water-wave designs are taken from well-known Chinese paintings of the past. Among Fuwa, Beibei is known to be gentle and pure. Strong in water sports, she reflects the blue Olympic ring. Jingjing Jingjing makes children smile -- and that's why he brings the blessing of happiness wherever he goes. You can see his joy in the charming naivety of his dancing pose and the lovely wave of his black and white fur. As a national treasure and a protected species, pandas are adored by people everywhere. The lotus designs in Jingjing's headdress, which are inspired by the porcelain paintings of the Song Dynasty (A.D.960-1234), symbolize the lush forest and the harmonious relationship between man and nature. Jingjing was chosen to represent our desire to protect nature's gifts -- and to preserve the beauty of nature for all generations. Jingjing is charmingly naïve and optimistic. He is an athlete noted for strength who represents the black Olympic ring. Huanhuan In the intimate circle of Fuwa, Huanhuan is the big brother. He is a child of fire, symbolizing the Olympic Flame and the passion of sport -- and passion is the blessing he bestows. Huanhuan stands in the center of Fuwa as the core embodiment of the Olympic spirit. And while he inspires all with the passion to run faster, jump higher and be stronger, he is also open and inviting. Wherever the light of Huanhuan shines, the inviting warmth of Beijing 2008 -- and the wishful blessings of the Chinese people -- can be felt. The fiery designs of his head ornament are drawn from the famed Dunhuang murals -- with just a touch of China's traditional lucky designs. Huanhuan is outgoing and enthusiastic. He excels at all the ball games and represents the red Olympic ring. Yingying Like all antelopes, Yingying is fast and agile and can swiftly cover great stretches of land as he races across the earth. A symbol of the vastness of China's landscape, the antelope carries the blessing of health, the strength of body that comes from harmony with nature. Yingying's flying pose captures the essence of a species unique to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, one of the first animals put under protection in China. The selection of the Tibetan Antelope reflects Beijing's commitment to a Green Olympics. His head ornament incorporates several decorative styles from the Qinghai-Tibet and Sinkiang cultures and the ethnic design traditions of Western China. Strong in track and field events, Yingying is a quick-witted and agile boy who represents the yellow Olympic ring. Nini Every spring and summer, the children of Beijing have flown beautiful kites on the currents of wind that blow through the capital. Among the kite designs, the golden-winged swallow is traditionally one of the most popular. Nini's figure is drawn from this grand tradition of flying designs. Her golden wings symbolize the infinite sky and spread good-luck as a blessing wherever she flies. Swallow is also pronounced "yan" in Chinese, and Yanjing is what Beijing was called as an ancient capital city. Among Fuwa, Nini is as innocent and joyful as a swallow. She is strong in gymnastics and represents the green Olympic ring. __________________________________________________ _________________________ The Mascot for the Paralymics Games, will be Great Cow Fu Niu Lele! Fu Niu Lele The design of Fu Niu Lele derives its inspiration from the farming cultivation culture of ancient Chinese civilization, and bears the following salient features: Cows, symbolic of a down-to-earth, diligent, staunch and never-say-die spirit, are adopted to show the unremitting spirit of athletes with a disability in being the best they can be. It dovetails with the upbeat spirit of Paralympians and the concept of "Transcendence, Equality, Integration" of the Beijing Paralympic Games. The determined, optimistic and diligent spirit of cows reflects a positive attitude to life. The Paralympic Games calls for people with a disability to enjoy the same rights to compete in sports as anyone else, and to achieve sporting excellence and inspire and excite the World, and thus develop their strength to add vigor and vitality to social progress. Fu Niu Lele invites people from across the globe to come to Beijing, enjoy the splendours of the Beijing Paralympic Games and see the inspiring performances of Paralympic athletes who achieve the unexpected. Now for the fun part you guys can always use this thread to talk about the game and recapp on the events and boast of your countries victories! Also please feel free to use this thread to show your support for your countries Atheletes, because I definately will and allow me to start with supporting my native country, if you please. Good Luck to all countries.

[Siиdяed]

Can I get some Rule 34 on these guys? For...social experiment.

[Emi Chan]

Can I get some Rule 34 on these guys? For...social experiment. Well I guess you can get a Rule 34 on it considering that it does exist and there happens to be no exceptions to this rule, but that would take all the family fun out of On the other hand would it not be more fun to put up some cool support for the United Kingdom?

[Siиdяed]

If you support the Olympics in Bejing, you support the destruction of Tibet. Sorry. I just like Tibet. They have monks and everything. ...and maybe they censor the internet. That may also influence my moral stance. But mostly Tibet. Maybe.

[Emi Chan]

I support the Olympics, however my support has really nothing to do with Tibet. I more interested in seeing my country bring home a few gold medals. Now that you mentioned it, bringing the issues in Tibet more out in the open makes this the first Olympics that I've been sort of into. Let us hope that, in the end, it actually makes a difference in bringing about change.

[shark!]

i love those little guys so much

[Cyclic13]

What's really gonna bake your noodle is 88 days before the 08/08/08 Olympics there was a 8.0 earthquake in China...

[Maeni]

Hah, those are awesome. I didn't read the thread though, because some time ago at school we had a "China week" where I was at a team working on the olympics. So we got the Fuwa covered up aswell. The names are stuck in my head. Bei Bei Jing Jing Huan Welcomes Ying Ni You BEIJINGHUANYINGNI- FUWAPOWA GO! also, this, Fuwa Promo? O_o And finaly, Fu Niu Lele ? :O Didn't know about that one... EDIT. It's "Welcome to Beijing"? Well that sucks.

[Xei]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yr5ZWYRaAyw BBC mascots bettar.

[Maeni]

Hmm, monkey like guy with a long stick as a weapon, flying around on a cloud... Dragon Ball olympics k?

[Emi Chan]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yr5ZWYRaAyw BBC mascots bettar. Not. Did anyone see the Opening Ceremonies? OMG! That was the most amazing thing, I've ever seen! Especially the lighting of the torch, I would've never thought it would have been so spectacular!

[Xei]

Yeah, I was stunned... I missed some good bits tho, like the blocks. Gotta watch that on yt some time. It's Britain's turn to host next year, and you could just feel everyone else in the country thinking... oh shit. Now what the hell do we do? I honestly wouldn't be surprised if the stadium isn't finished by 2012, we're that crap at everything... but yeah probably we have like, three or four fireworks planned for the opening ceremony, it's gonna look ridiculous. Really powerful statement to the rest of the world though, I thought... perhaps to America in particular. Basically a big 'fuck off, we're the boss now'.

[Emi Chan]

I just had to put this one up here because it really troubles me that certain people in China would try and pull this one off. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Chinese officials have admitted deceiving the public over another highlight of the Olympic opening ceremony: the picture-perfect schoolgirl who sang as the Chinese flag entered the stadium was performing to another girl's voice. Lin Miaoke who lip-synched at the opening ceremony over the voice of Yang Peiyi [right] who was considered unsuited to the lead role because of her buck teeth Photo: GETTY/AFP The girl in the red dress with the pigtails, called Lin Miaoke, 9, and from a Beijing primary school, has become a national sensation since Friday night, giving interviews to all the most popular newspapers. But the show's musical designer felt forced to set the record straight. He gave an interview to Beijing radio saying the real singer was a seven-year-old girl who had won a gruelling competition to perform the anthem, a patriotic song called "Hymn to the Motherland". At the last moment a member of the Chinese politburo who was watching a rehearsal pronounced that the winner, a girl called Yang Peiyi, might have a perfect voice but was unsuited to the lead role because of her buck teeth. So, on the night, while a pre-recording of Yang Peiyi singing was played, Lin Miaoke, who has already featured in television advertisements, was seen but not heard. "This was a last-minute question, a choice we had to make," the ceremony's musical designer, Chen Qigang, said. "Our rehearsals had already been vetted several times - they were all very strict. When we had the dress rehearsals, there were spectators from various divisions, including above all a member of the politburo who gave us his verdict: we had to make the swap." Mr Chen's interview gave an extraordinary insight into the control exercised over the ceremony by the Games' political overseers, all to ensure the country was seen at its best. Officials have already admitted that the pictures of giant firework footprints which marched across Beijing towards the stadium on Friday night were prerecorded, digitally enhanced and inserted into footage beamed across the world. Mr Chen said the initial hopefuls to sing the anthem had been reduced to ten, and one, a ten-year-old, had originally been chosen for the quality of her voice. But she, too, had fallen by the wayside because she was not "cute" enough. "We used her to sing in all the rehearsals," Mr Chen said. "But in the end the director thought her image was not the most appropriate, because she was a little too old. Regrettably, we had to let her go." At that point Yang Peiyi stepped up to the plate. "The main consideration was the national interest," he said. "The child on the screen should be flawless in image, in her internal feelings, and in her expression. In the matter of her voice, Yang Peiyi was flawless, in the unanimous opinion of all the members of the team." That was until attention turned to Yang Peiyi's teeth. Nevertheless, Mr Chen thought the end result a perfect compromise. "We have a responsibility to face the audience of the whole country, and to be open with this explanation," he said. "We should all understand it like this: it is a question of the national interest. It is a question of the image of our national music, our national culture. "Especially at the entrance of our national flag, this is an extremely important, an extremely serious matter. "So we made the choice. I think it is fair to both Lin Miaoke and Yang Peiyi - after all, we have a perfect voice, a perfect image and a perfect show, in our team's view, all together." One question remains: why was Lin Miaoke allowed to give interviews in which she lapped up the praise for her singing. Mr Chen said she might not have known that the words she was singing could not be heard. She had, in fact, only known she was going to perform at all 15 minutes beforehand. Yang Peiyi is said to have reacted well to the disappointment. "I am proud to have been chosen to sing at all," she is reported to have said.

[StonedApe]

Boycott the olympics. China has a very evil government. It is atrocious what they have done to Tibet and even to their own people. I heard that they told people they could protest if they got a special permit, then when people went to get the permit the just arrested them. Thats fucked up.

[High Hunter]

Haha the little cow is cute..

[Serkat]

A public performer chosen because of her looks? That would never happen in the Western world. Those damn commies! Haha the little cow is cute.. Dude, that's kinda mean, it's not her fault she looks that way.