Two-year-old Paralympic Mascot
Fu Niu Lele, the Official Mascot of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, was unveiled on September 6, 2005, to mark the two-year countdown to the opening of the Games.
According to the official website of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, the image of a happy cow was chosen for the following reasons.
First, a cow, symbolic of a down-to-earth, diligent, staunch and never-say-die spirit, was adopted to show the unremitting spirit of athletes with disabilities to be the best they can be. It dovetails with the upbeat spirit of Paralympians and the concept of "transcendence, equality and 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 disabilities 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.
Second, as one of the animals closest to human beings, cows are well-known for their friendliness and their affinity with the humans who care for them. Throughout the history of the development of world civilization, poetry and songs have clearly expressed the aspiration of humankind for a harmonious life. Cows have often found their way into the natural, cozy and poetic country life reflected in literary and art works, showing public expectation for harmonious coexistence between man and nature.
In Chinese traditional culture, cows are also considered auspicious in inviting good weather and bumper harvests.
Third, the mascot's design reflects rich national style and cultural features. It absorbs the modeling and design styles unique to China's folk engraved prints, New Year drawings, and toys. This, plus features unique to the modeling of modern cartoons, shows an integration of traditional folk style and public interest with that of modern times.
Fourth, cows are widely accepted internationally. Cows were one of the first animals depicted in literary and art works. Cases in point include the Lascaux mural in France and Altamira rock paintings in Spain, which all contain drawings of cows. Therefore, adopting a cow as the mascot of the Paralympic Games, instead of a traditional rare animal, is a creative act to a certain extent. |