Haibao's papa bitten by charity bug

Taiwan artist Yoken Wu created Haibao, the mascot of the upcoming Shanghai Expo, in the guise of a watery blue boy shaped like the Chinese character for 'people' (ren).

Now the 42-year-old plans on helping a number of real Chinese boys -- and girls -- shake off the blues by bringing them to next year's expo using the proceeds of a charity sale of his latest oil paintings.

The children, all orphans from Taiwan, do not have parents so they regard the city in which they grew up as both their home and family, said the artist. This makes the gesture a fitting overture to both the kids and the momentous event, itself a celebration of one of Asia's greatest metropolises.

"I hope that after these kids visit the expo, which will explore the future development of cities, they can bring the feeling of being loved back to Taiwan. I also hope they take home with them their dreams of what future cities should look like, so they can help create better lives for city-slickers when they grow up," he said.

The artist, who was chosen as the winner of a global search in 2007 to find an expo mascot, spent three years on the 26 oil paintings that present various slices of life in Shanghai.

Called Shanghai Impression, they depict typical scenes in Shanghai including the financial zone of Lujiazui, the famous pedestrian walkway Nanjing Road, and the tenement housing known in China as shikumen that is unique to Shanghai.

The auction will take place next month following exhibitions on the mainland, in Taiwan and in New York. Part of the funds will be donated to victims of Typhoon Morakot, which slammed the island this August claiming hundreds of lives.

A native of Taiwan's Changhua county, Wu arrived in Shanghai in 2003 and opened his own studio in the city after spending a year in the coastal city of Dongguan observing the local art market.

His career hit a high note in late 2007 when organizers of the Shanghai Expo picked the mascot designed by him and another mainland artist from among 26,655 entries.

Wu recalled first drawing rough sketches on a bill at a local caf. He never thought his image of Haibao would wind up plastered across the entire city.

"I was fortunate to have been bitten by the creative bug," he said.

He compared his success to raising cattle.

"When I cultivate the grass, nobody notices. When the grass has grown and attracts cattle, people still don't notice. They only begin to pay attention when a herd of cattle is up and running. I told them that while the beef may taste great, the initial process is really arduous."