Fu Niu Lele
Encyclopedia
Fu Niu Lele was the mascot of the 2008 Summer Paralympics
in Beijing
.
The mascot, designed by Wu GuanYing, professor at the Academy of Arts and Design at Tsinghua University
, was unveiled on on September 6, 2006 at the foot of the Great Wall of China's Badaling
.
Fu Niu Lele represents a harmonious co-existence between mankind and nature, it represents athletes with a disability striving to make progress, and it represents the Beijing Paralympics Games' concept of "Transcendence, Equality and Integration."
, the Monkey King and Ne Zha
. A revising group, lead by Wu GuanYing, looked over the three designs, and found that the dolphin and Monkey King designs could cause problems with intellectual property rights, while the Ne Zha was not suitable.
They considered looking for an alternative design, and Wu GuanYing came up with the idea of a cartoon cow. Wu GuanYing said "I grew up in the countryside and was once a cow herder, so I know that the cow is one of the animals closest to human beings. Cows are well-known for their friendliness and their affinity to the humans who care for them."
The colours of Fu Niu Lele come from traditional Chinese New Year
drawings and toys.
In the Official Paralympic mascot video, it becomes apparent that the mark on Fu Niu Lele's forehead is made of a dandelion seed pappus
.
2008 Summer Paralympics
The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games, the thirteenth Paralympics, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to September 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao....
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
.
The mascot, designed by Wu GuanYing, professor at the Academy of Arts and Design at Tsinghua University
Tsinghua University
Tsinghua University , colloquially known in Chinese as Qinghua, is a university in Beijing, China. The school is one of the nine universities of the C9 League. It was established in 1911 under the name "Tsinghua Xuetang" or "Tsinghua College" and was renamed the "Tsinghua School" one year later...
, was unveiled on on September 6, 2006 at the foot of the Great Wall of China's Badaling
Badaling
Badaling is the site of the most visited section of the Great Wall of China, approximately northwest of urban Beijing city in Yanqing County, which is within the Beijing municipality. The portion of the wall running through the site was built during the Ming Dynasty, along with a military...
.
Fu Niu Lele represents a harmonious co-existence between mankind and nature, it represents athletes with a disability striving to make progress, and it represents the Beijing Paralympics Games' concept of "Transcendence, Equality and Integration."
History
There were originally 87 mascot designs suggestions. These were discussed by a jury on December 30, 2005, and shortlisted to three designs: a Chinese river dolphin (lipotes vexillifer), and two figures from traditional Chinese mythologyChinese mythology
Chinese mythology is a collection of cultural history, folktales, and religions that have been passed down in oral or written tradition. These include creation myths and legends and myths concerning the founding of Chinese culture and the Chinese state...
, the Monkey King and Ne Zha
Nezha (deity)
Nezha, Na Zha or Nata . He was then given the title "Third Lotus Prince" after he became a deity.Modern scholarship has shown that he is based on two figures from Hindu mythology, namely Nalakubar and Krishna....
. A revising group, lead by Wu GuanYing, looked over the three designs, and found that the dolphin and Monkey King designs could cause problems with intellectual property rights, while the Ne Zha was not suitable.
They considered looking for an alternative design, and Wu GuanYing came up with the idea of a cartoon cow. Wu GuanYing said "I grew up in the countryside and was once a cow herder, so I know that the cow is one of the animals closest to human beings. Cows are well-known for their friendliness and their affinity to the humans who care for them."
The colours of Fu Niu Lele come from traditional Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year – often called Chinese Lunar New Year although it actually is lunisolar – is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is an all East and South-East-Asia celebration...
drawings and toys.
In the Official Paralympic mascot video, it becomes apparent that the mark on Fu Niu Lele's forehead is made of a dandelion seed pappus
Pappus (flower structure)
The pappus is the modified calyx, the part of an individual disk, ray or ligule floret surrounding the base of the corolla, in flower heads of the plant family Asteraceae. The pappus may be composed of bristles , awns, scales, or may be absent. In some species, the pappus is too small to see...
.
See also
- The Fuwa, mascots of the 2008 Summer Olympics2008 Summer OlympicsThe 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
in BeijingBeijingBeijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
External links
- The Official Mascot of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games (English)
- The Official Mascot of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games (Chinese)
- Fu Niu Lele costumed characters at Beijing 2008 on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....