Fuwa - Mascots

Mascots

**Fuwa**
Name	Beibei (贝贝)	Jingjing (晶晶)	Huanhuan (欢欢)	Yingying (迎迎)	Nini (妮妮)
Gender	Female	Male	Male	Male	Female
Representing Continent	Europe	Africa	America	Asia	Oceania
Picture
Cultural inspiration	Traditional Chinese New Year decorative picture of lotus and fish; fish design from Neolithic artifacts.	Giant panda; Song Dynasty lotus-shaped porcelain.	Olympic flame; Fire design from the Mogao Grottoes.	Tibetan antelope, Tibetan and Xinjiang ethnic costumes.	Swift, a sort of swallow; Beijing's Sand Martin kite.
Olympic Ring	Blue	Black	Red	Orange	Green
Represented Element	Sea	Forest	Fire	Earth	Sky
Actual Fengshui Element	Water	Wood	Fire	Earth	Metal
Personality	Friendly, leader	Honest, optimistic	Extrovert, enthusiastic	Lively, independent	Just, kind
Represented ideal	Prosperity	Happiness	Passion	Health	Good fortune
Represented sport	aquatic sports	weightlifting, judo, etc.	ball sports/racquet sports	track and field	gymnastics
Notes	In traditional Chinese culture, the fish represents prosperity, as the character for fish (鱼 / 魚) sounds the same as that for surplus (余 / 餘). The "carp leaping over the dragon gate" is a traditional allegory of following one's dreams and achieving them. The pattern from Beibei's headgear comes from artifacts unearthed at Banpo, site of a Neolithic village of the Yangshao culture.	As an endangered species, the panda is both a national symbol of China and an international symbol of environmentalism. Jingjing's forest origins also symbolize the harmonious coexistence of humankind and nature.	Huanhuan represents the passion of sports, the Olympic spirit of "faster, higher, stronger", and the passion of the Beijing Olympics. Huanhuan's headgear comes from a fire design in the Mogao Caves, the best known of the Chinese Buddhist grottoes.	The Tibetan antelope is an endangered species native to the Tibetan Plateau, known for its swiftness. Yingying's headgear incorporates elements of Tibetan and Xinjiang ethnic costumes.	The swallow is a messenger of spring and happiness in Chinese culture, and is seen as a symbol of good fortune. The Chinese character for swallow (燕) is also used in Yanjing (燕京), an old name for Beijing; thus the swallow alludes to Beijing. Nini's headgear uses the design of Beijing's Sand Martin kites, which are colourful cross-shaped kites modeled after swallows.