Beijing Olympic Mascot Controversy
The Wall Street Journal had a funny story about the controversy surrounding the mascots for the upcoming event (Sorry, subscription might be required). The mascots for the Beijing games are a group of vaguely animalistic caricatures called “fuwa”. Personally, I don’t find them objectionable, but I couldn’t resist seizing on the news to share a story that really annoyed me.
A couple of years ago, we exhibited at the Gartner Outsourcing Summit as part of a delegation from China. The Chinese organizers of the delegation brought a load of fuwas (OK, I’m not sure about the plural of “fuwa”) to be distributed to special clients and prospects. It may have been the novelty of the creatures, or, perhaps, just blind greed amongst the attendees, but there was incredible demand for those things. My colleague and I practically had to beat people with sticks to keep them from stealing our allocation of fuwa. Unfortunately, relatively few people really wanted to talk about outsourcing and/or China. On the other hand, it seemed like everyone wanted an Olympic mascot doll. I’ll never forget the person who waited until we were actively engaged in talking with a prospect, then crept behind our booth and reached around to grab the fuwa. All that I saw, out of the corner of my eye, was a hand and a disappearing fuwa.
In any event, I can reassure their creator, Mr. Han Meilin, that the people who attended the Gartner Outsourcing Summit sincerely appreciated the fuwa.
Technorati Tags: China, fuwa, China Outsourcing
I am wondering what those “fuwas” represent. They look cute anyways. Are those fuwas part of China’s culture for special events?
Comment by Cell Phone Accessories — 2008.7.26 @ 01:49
According to the article: “[The] five cartoon figures (an Olympic record) emerged, representing a fish, a panda, a Tibetan antelope, a swallow and the Olympic flame. Their two-syllable names, when lined up correctly, combine to spell out “Beijing welcomes you” in Chinese.” They were created specifically for the 2008 Olympics. They are not part of China’s cultural iconography. There is a complete explanation on the official Olympic site: http://en.beijing2008.cn/spirit/beijing2008/graphic/n214068254.shtml
Comment by deans — 2008.7.26 @ 11:13
What were people uninterested in talking about outsourcing to China doing at an outsourcing summit? That’s got to be one of those phenomena more mysterious than the fuwa.
Comment by Flo — 2008.7.28 @ 18:47