The Fuwa, the official mascots of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, toured London on the third leg of their global journey from February 28 to March 4.
During their tour of local schools, landmark buildings, football stadiums and Chinatown, the mascots extended their best wishes to the 7 million inhabitants of the city for the London 2012 Olympic Games and give Beijing and London, the two Olympic host cities an opportunity to share the Olympic spirit and to talk about their respective Olympic preparations.
The Fuwa promotion campaign was started on the afternoon of February 28 in front of London City Hall. In his speech, Mayor Ken Livingstone extended a warm welcome to the mascots and expressed the hope that the Olympics would bring the two capitals even closer. At the invitation of Mr. Livingstone, Beijing Mayor Wang Qishan, who was on a business trip in London, posed with him for a photograph beside the five mascots.
During its stay in London, the Fuwa delegation talked with Londoners on the Olympic ideals and the symbolic meaning of the mascots. In East London, 500 school children were taught to call the Fuwa by their names in Mandarin amid dancing and singing, and some of them even understood the meaning behind the combination of the names of the five mascots -- Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying and Nini: Welcome to Beijing.
On March 4, the mascots appeared at half-time during a First League football match between West Ham United and Tottenham. Spectators were delighted to see a performance by five children wearing colorful costumes inspired by the outfit of the inflated Fuwa.
London's media, including the BBC and the Evening Standard, paid close attention to the Fuwa campaign. The BBC, for example, went to great lengths to follow the Fuwa's expedition along the Thames during the whole day of March 2. AFP, AP and other world media did not miss the event either.
Volunteers also played a role in the campaign. About 30 volunteers from Britain, Poland and other countries offered their help during street performances, while tens of overseas Chinese performed lion dances to create a festive atmosphere.
It is the third time that the Fuwa take a journey overseas: the lovely quintet have already toured the US and Finland.
(BOCOG March 7, 2007)
