China's Olympic triumphs (or not?)

For the Olympics and Paralympics, which ended last Wednesday, China came up with six cuddly fuwa, or mascots. But each has become associated in the public mind with recent troubles in the country. One fuwa is a panda, the symbol of Sichuan, which was struck by an earthquake. Another resembles a torch, which is said to represent the protests against the international Olympic torch relay. A Tibetan antelope is seen as a symbol of the unrest in that region in March; a swallow that looks like a kite has been linked to a deadly train crash in Shandong province; and a fish was taken to represent widespread flooding in southern and central China. The sixth fuwa, devised for the Paralympics, is a cow. To many, the link to the milk scandal is clear. "All six fuwa have appeared now. It's time to stop," wrote one blogger.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 37013.html (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/milk-scandal-blows-away-chinas-feelgood-mood-937013.html)