Bags of luck

One of the more light-hearted aspects of the Olympic Games is the choice of a mascot by the host nation. In Beijing, Han Meilin was charged with the onerous task of choosing an original mascot for the 2008 Summer Games and presumably having to please quite a few people with differing opinions ... It was eventually decided that, as it isn't possible for a single figure to represent China's intense and diversified culture, it's necessary to have no less than five mascots rolled into one. 'Fuwa' (or 'Friendlies') is a symbol that carries a message of friendship, peace and harmony and conveys blessings from China to children all over the world.


The mascot embodies the natural characteristics of four of China's most popular animals - the fish, the panda, the Tibetan antelope and the swallow, as well as the Olympic Flame. Each of the Fuwa has its own symbolic meaning and the abbreviations of their names combined sounds like a phrase meaning "Beijing welcomes you".


At ShopCurious, where we specialise in rather unique accessories, we've just got some stylish new faux snakeskin clutch bags and envelope bags with their own lucky charms in the form of carved Chinese jade buckles with hidden inner meaning, whether it be wealth (left) or longevity (right) - hopefully I haven't got these the wrong way around? There's even a bag with the symbol of two dragons (above left) - the very identity and essence of Asia itself. We've also a mother of pearl longevity pendant, for added good fortune.

So many symbols to choose from, so much potential luck - I'm just surprised the Beijing Olympic Commitee didn't choose eight Fuwa instead of five.
Are you?

Fans of cool style

Fans are a stylish way of keeping comfortably cool during the hot weather we're experiencing and that visitors to the Olympics in Beijing are likely to encounter. They're also a tried and tested method of creating a bit of breeziness too, having been around for quite a while - at least 3,000 years in fact.

If you haven't visited the Fan Museum at Greenwich, I highly recommend it. You can learn all about the history and even the anatomy (left) of the fan. The first types of folding fans were inspired by those brought in by merchant traders from China and Japan. Fans were very popular in the 18th and 19th centuries and continued to be imported from the Far East, as well as being produced in Europe.

Fans were originally associated with nobility, but gradually became more widely available - though they've always remained something of a fashion statement, if not a showcase for artists ( another case of fashion meeting art in history).


We've got a selection of vintage fans on sale at ShopCurious: from the decorative hand painted oriental variety to dramatic flirty feathered types. These unique accessories make an exotic addition to any outfit and are also great as an unusual gift.

Peacock feathers were often used to embellish Chinese fans (see above right). In China, the peacock is a symbol of beauty and dignity. An old Chinese legend tells the tale of a daughter of a top military commander who painted a peacock on an ornamental screen and promised to marry the first man who could hit the peacock twice with arrows whilst running. This resulted in the curious term "Selection by hitting the bird screen" - a Chinese euphemism for finding a husband.

For some modern day advice on this, click on the pic to the right. Alternatively, you could simply use your fan to create an air of mystery and allure ... and await the response.
Will you?

Preparing for Beijing

Only ten days to go to the Olympics, so I thought we should have a few blogs about getting ready for the big event. I'm afraid we aren't currently selling any respiratory masks, but wholesale suppliers are welcome to get in touch.

What we do have is a wonderfully unique ammonite pendant, which could come in very handy. Apparently, the original discus used by ancient Greeks in their Olympics was a fossilized ammonite. So, if your local pub is running an Olympic quiz offering a gold medal to the winner (might be worth a bob or two these days) then do remember this curious bit of trivia.

It's also worth noting that the pentathlon was introduced for the first time at the 18th Olympiad in 708 BC, probably by the Spartans as a method of training soldiers. It consisted of running the length of the stadium, throwing the spear, the discus and wrestling (did they miss one out?) Anyway, now we have the modern pentathlon and the throwing events seem to be reserved for the decathlon - if that's not too ancient an activity for this year's Olympic Games ... I can't spot it on the schedule of events can you?

I'm beginning to feel exhausted just thinking about all these sports. I hope the athletes are getting some good rest in before the competition begins. In preparation I'd recommend a long relaxing soak with an exotic bath salt infusion from ShopCurious.






Afterwards, they can pop on a stylish vintage embroidered Chinese silk dressing gown for a spot of meditation before bye-byes (not forgetting their hot water with honey and lemon of course).

Do you?