Wang Qishan and Ken Livingstone together with Fuwa on the bank of Thames River

(BEIJING, Feb. 28) -- The Fuwa, the official mascots of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, made their debut in London on Wednesday.

The mascots were greeted warmly by London Mayor Ken Livingstone and Beijing Mayor Wang Qishan, who was in London to attend the annual conference of four European cities.

Visitors pose for a photograph beside Fuwa

The mascots, called Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying and Nini, have attracted a number of local people and visitors, who posed for a photograph beside the mascots. Some visitors asked questions about the latest news about the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

In an interview with the media, a London official said Beijing will pass on the Olympic flag to London next year, which has learnt a lot from Beijing in its bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games. The Olympics binds the two cities closely together, he said.

A British girl with Fuwa

The Fuwa promotion activity was organized at the invitation of London. After the unveiling ceremony in front of the City Hall, they will parade along Britain’s scenic spots and landmark buildings on March 3, and on March 4, they will make a performance during the intervals of a football match between the West Ham United and Tottenham League.

It is the third time that the Fuwa take a journey overseas: the lovely quintet have already toured the United States and Finland.