Beijing 2008 Olympics mascot designer Wu Guanying dies in capital amid rumours that Covid-19 caused his death
- In his last social media posting, the 67-year-old retired Tsinghua University professor said ‘We should all be careful’
- Health facilities in Beijing and other Chinese cities have been placed under tremendous stress since Covid-19 restrictions were lifted
Wu Guanying, the renowned Chinese illustrator and lead designer of the 2008 Beijing Olympics mascot, has passed away in the capital amid rumours that Covid-19 may have caused his death. He was 67.
A male member of staff at Tsinghua University’s Academy of Arts and Design – where Wu was a professor – would only confirm that he had “died of an illness” when contacted by the Post.
The staff member was unable to confirm if Covid-19 was the cause of death, adding that news of his passing first appeared in a WeChat group for the school’s faculty members on December 21.
A report in Beijing Daily gave the cause of death as “infection with a severe cold”.
Born in Zhongshan, in southern China’s Guangdong province, Wu was a lead designer of the 2008 Beijing Olympics mascot, Fuwa. He also designed Fu Niu Lele, the mascot for the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing.
The Beijing games Organising Committee gave him a special honorary award for his work.
Wu retired from Tsinghua University in November 2021.
Following his retirement, Wu shared sketches on Weibo and in his last post on December 9 said, “We should all be careful!” while sharing a small drawing of a rabbit he had pinned to his door with the caption “Please leave your deliveries at the door, and small items in the cardboard box, thank you!”
His last lecture at Tsinghua University was in April this year.
Following China’s relaxation of most of its Covid-19 controls on December 7, a wave of new infections has hit many cities, including Beijing.
According to data released by the National Health Commission, 2,966 new cases of indigenous coronavirus were confirmed in mainland China on December 21, 471 of them in Beijing.
However, this figure has been widely questioned on social media.
Beijing’s medical system has also come under tremendous pressure, despite it being one of the best-served cities in China in terms of medical resources.
On December 21, in an interview with the medical publication MedicalWorld, Wang Guangfa, Director of the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine at Peking University First Hospital, described the peak in infections as a “tsunami”.
Due to a lack of statistics, it is unclear exactly how many people have passed away as a result of this new wave of infections.
The Wall Street Journal has claimed there has been a surge in the number of bodies accepted at Beijing Dongjiao Crematory, the funeral home designated by the National Health Commission to receive people who have died as a result of Covid-19.
Some internet users found that Tsinghua University had issued 14 death notices as of December 14. The figure sparked discussion on Weibo, with many questioning whether the coronavirus was the cause of death.
According to information obtained by the Post, the death notices were posted on the university’s information portal, to which only current students and faculty members have access. None of the notices mentions whether the deceased died of coronavirus.
A member of staff at Tsinghua University’s Academy of Arts and Design told the Post that some students had been infected on campus since the end of November and that those currently there would be leaving after their final exams.
