Han Meilin: A Loyal Adherent to National Traditions

The surprise unveiling of Beijing Olympic mascots has also brought chief designer Han Meilin into the spotlight. Seemingly overnight, the 69-year-old man has become a household name throughout the world, receiving much praise.

However, during an interview with the Titan Weekly two days after the mascot release, Han kept repeating a sentence: "It was not easy giving birth to my five sons!"

It is true. As the man in charge of the final design of the Olympic mascot, everything Fu Wa has brought -- attention, recognition, ovation, or even the mixed response from the public -- have become an important and irremovable part of his life and will remain so until well after the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. For other collaborating artists, the hardships, difficulties, happiness, and pride experienced in the design process might soon become history, but for Han Meilin, they are invaluable treasures that has left him a great aftertaste.

Blending "Chinese Flavor" into Every Cell of "Fu Wa"

"The design of an Olympic mascot is different from other kinds of creation in general. Concerning the Chinese mascots, it is a collective creation by the 1.3 billion Chinese people, carrying with it much responsibility and expectation," said Han when speaking of the design after the unveiling of the mascots. He added that, when appointed team leader of the design team, he felt unprecedented pressure.

Han continued, "I feel it is a mission endowed by the 1.3 billion Chinese people, who will keep an eye on me to see what we have worked out for them. I am the man holding a flag and walking in the forefront of a procession. The flag is the Chinese nation and its culture."

In the circles of fine arts, Han is known for sculpture and craft design - the giant tiger sculpture on Dalian Tiger Beach has been honored as a representative in modern city sculptures, while the emblem of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games vividly portrays the beauty and dynamics of sports with its fluent lines and has won acclaim from both home and abroad. But according to Han, all his past works were individualistic creations, and were given more freedom.

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