September 29, 2009
Just two days ahead of the 60th Anniversary festivities on October 1, today’s Henan Legal Daily featured a photo of a recent police exercise.
The caption reads:
To preserve overall social stability for the National Day, more than 1,300 police, armed police, firefighters, and security officers in Jiaozuo conducted an anti-terrorism exercise.
But Henan is already looking beyond the 60th Anniversary to next year’s Expo 2010, to be held in Shanghai.
The Expo’s mascot, Haibao, a stylized ren (人, “people”) character with an ocean-wave tuft of hair, will star in the animated feature Shaolin Haibao, co-sponsored by the Henan Daily Press Group.
According to the buzzword-heavy report, the cartoon will combine Henan’s native Shaolin and Zen with the cultures of harmony and “sea treasure” (the meaning of Haibao’s name), and will be an expression of the friendship that exists between Henan and Shanghai. Five thousand years of history plays a role, as well.
- Henan Legal Daily (Chinese): Shaolin Haibao project launched
- Shanghai Daily: Mascot Haibao started life as a sketch on a coffee shop receipt