The devil is in the details
Li Xing China Daily  Updated: 2005-11-24 06:11

I joined the buying spree in China's capital right after the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) unveiled the five mascots for the 2008 Beijing Games.

I could not resist getting the very first batch of Fuwa, or "Five Friendlies," as the stuffed mascots, cute and very traditionally Chinese, make for good Christmas gifts for my overseas friends and their children.

But when I presented a set to an American friend who happened to be in town last week, we discovered that we had to engage in a guessing game.

We leafed through and read the labels carefully, but the labels only informed us that they were authentic BOCOG products for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, with the warning that the plastic wrapper may suffocate young children.

We checked the dolls for their names or titles, but they only wear the dancing red seal, the Games symbol, and the words, 2008 Beijing Olympics.

My friend had no problem recognizing the figures of a fish, a panda, fire, an antelope and a bird as well as the five colours that represent five rings of the Olympic symbol.

But he had to be told that they are "Five Friendlies" in English or Fuwa in Chinese.

Each has a rhyming two-syllable name, a traditional Chinese way of showing affection for children. The fish is Beibei and the panda is Jingjing. The fire is the Olympic Flame, Huanhuan.

The antelope is the Tibetan antelope, Yingying. It is an endangered species on the roof of the world with its numbers dwindling dramatically. There have been international pleas to stop making and selling the shahtoosh from its wool.

The bird is actually a kite, Nini, which Beijingers call Rain Swallow.

Translating the Chinese names into English it says: Welcome to Beijing.

"Five Friendlies" also symbolize the five elements (metal, wood, water, fire and earth) believed by ancient Chinese to explain the origin of the world.

When my friend heard all the explanations, he was truly intrigued. Then he was dismayed because he couldn't remember them all. And the labels on the mascots were of no help at all.

What is amiss is the little details.

I started checking with my friends who collected mascots from previous Olympic and Asian games. Five years on, a colleague of mine can easily tell the names of the three animal mascots of the 2000 Sydney Games, Olly the Kookaburra, Syd the Platypus and Millie the Spiny Anteater, from the labels on them.

The Athenians made sure that collectors would remember Athena and Phevos, brother and sister in Greek mythology. The former god of light and music, and the latter, the goddess of wisdom and patron of the city of Athens.

Among my collection of dolls, symbols or antique models, there is a fine model of the bronze chariot of the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC) with an introduction in both Chinese and English.

Another is a small stuffed figure Elua, one of the "Three Little Pua'a," or Three Little Pigs, from Honolulu, Hawaii. An additional label talks about the family tradition and the aloha spirit of Hawaii.

Protection of intellectual property rights and authentication must, of course, be highlighted to prevent fakes and fraud.

However, other little details, in the form of additional labels telling the stories behind the design and ideas about the mascots, are also essential. They communicate directly to audiences and help further cross-cultural and cross-ethnic understanding.

Moreover, the missing introduction from the first few batches of mascots on sale in the market is just but one tiny example of the lack of attention to details in quite a few of the campaigns for public participation in recent years.

Almost all of those events, often celebrated in hooplas, project lofty goals, drawing people's attention to some social problems, important public issues or the needy.

However, something is often amiss, such as comprehensive but easy-to-read introductions, thanks to those who contribute their share to the success of the events, or solutions for questions that arise during the events.

The rush to make something big has made many overlook the details, even though it is often the attention to the small matters that wins public trust and keep the grand projects going.

Hopefully, the new batches of authenticated 2008 Beijing Olympics mascots will have with them the missing stories.

Email: lixing@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 11/24/2005 page4)