Like the five Olympic rings, Fuwa will serve as the official
mascots of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
They carry a message of friendship, peace, and good wishes from
China to children all over the world.
Fuwa are five little children who form a circle of friends.
Fuwa also mean four of China's most popular animals: the fish, the
panda, the Tibetan antelope, and the swallow. In the middle of them stands the Olympic flame.
Each of Fuwa has an interesting name. These five names show love for
children in a traditional Chinese way by repeating a sound. Beibei is the Fish,
Jingjing is the Panda, Huanhuan is the Olympic Flame, Yingying is the Tibetan Antelope,
and Nini is the Swallow.
When you put their names together -- Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni -- they say "Welcome to Beijing",
offering a warm invitation to the whole world.
Fuwa also express a meaning of the Chinese land, and dreams of people from every part of
the country. In their headpieces, you can see the five traditional
colors for nature. They are for the sea, forest, fire, earth, and sky.