The five fuwas are the leading characters of a 100-episode animation series depicting the beginning and the evolution of the modern Olympic Games. Episodes talk about how international rules were established. There are stories about the ancient Olympics. In sum, the series is an Olympics primer, that unfolds through humorous plots.

The huge production embraced the most advanced planar and three-dimensional technology. Scenes were completed on the computer rather than being painstakingly hand painted. That helped to reduce the production time.

Stars of Chinese entertainment joined the cast to give voice to the five fuwas and other principal characters. The stars did not comprise the entire cast. Some members of the production crew were asked to lend their voices in supporting roles. The program's executive directors recorded reference voices before actors went into the studio.

The five fuwas were the principal characters of the story. But there were other leading roles too. The Kaku Family, from Beijing TV's Cartoon Channel made their way into the story.

The five Beijing Olympic mascots and the Kaku Family go on a journey through time and space for a first hand experience of Olympic History.

The production team itself was an "A-line" crew. The people who worked on the technical side of the series are among the best of Chinese cinema, television and music.

Music is one of the keys to a successful animation. Veteran musicians and singers Liu Huan and Zheng Jun were invited to write the opening and closing themes for the "The Olympic Adventures of the Fuwas." The opening, "Welcome to Beijing" was composed on the ancient five note scale. But the tune combined the traditional Chinese approach to music with the western style. The unaccompanied vocal spoke to all Chinese people to embrace the world with an open heart.

The combination of the music and the star-studded cast of voice actors demonstrates the high quality of this animation smash. It's proven popular among audiences of all ages. That's good for China's animation industry. But what's more important it captures and expresses the Olympic spirit.

(CCTV August 5, 2008)