Fu Niu Lele (Fu Niu Lele, 2008 Paralympic Games Mascot Unveiled , btmbeijing.com, November 30, 2006), was the mascot of the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing.
The mascot, designed by Wu Guanying (吴冠英), professor at the Academy of Arts and Design at Tsinghua University,Beijing Unveiled 2008 Paralympics Mascot , btmbeijing.com, September 3, 2006Happy Cow the Paralympic mascot, chinadaily.com.cn, September 7, 2006 was unveiled on September 6, 2006The Official Mascot of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games Fu Niu Lele , Official website of Beijing 2008Beijing Paralympic Mascot Fu Niu Lele unveiled , Official website of Beijing 2008, September 6, 2006 at the foot of the Great Wall of China's Badaling.'Lele' embodies nature and athletic triumph, People's Daily Online, September 8, 2006
Fu Niu Lele is a multicolored cow who represents a harmonious co-existence between mankind and nature, he represents athletes with a disability striving to make progress, and he 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 (baiji), and two figures from traditional Chinese mythology, the Monkey King and Ne Zha. A revising group, led 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 came up with the idea of a cartoon cow. Wu 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.
See also
The Fuwa, mascots of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing Sumi and Mukmuk, mascots of the 2010 Winter Paralympics in Vancouver Tom, mascot of the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro Someity, mascot of the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo Shuey Rhon Rhon, mascot of the 2022 Winter Paralympics in Beijing
References
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 YouTube