Slowdown, and awaken your dreams

If you believe in fairy tales, go to Beijing's Sanlitun area to discover a red fox's wonderland-a secret garden of cartoon-themed installations displayed in shopping malls.

The eight sculptures are all about a red fox named Ali and his friends, the characters created by Chinese cartoonist Xu Han. Each installation has a warm theme and a story behind it to usher in the Spring Festival and Valentine's Day.

In one installation named Spring, Ali stands in the center of a rose garden, looking ecstatic that spring has arrived. His companion, a pink fox, stands on top of a rose.

Xu says he hopes the captivating scene at the entrance of the bustling shopping center will make city folk take stock of their lives.

"The pace of city life is fast. I hope the wonderland downtown can make people stop and appreciate the fairy tales they once perused," Xu says.

"Fairy tales evoke the feeling of warmth and goodness. When one maintains his childlike innocence, everything in the world will become fantastic."

Xu and his red fox Ali enjoy great popularity across China among young people and office workers. Over the past five years, Ali picture books have sold more than 1.5 million copies.

Last October, he released his third book in the series, Ali's Tail, which quickly topped the animated book list and sold about 400,000 copies.

Everyone has a secret garden deep in their minds, says Xu. It contains people's dreams and hopes, which are waiting to be roused by some magical power.

Xu hopes the wonderland he has created in downtown Beijing will act like a kind of magical power to awaken people's fantasies, which they have lost in the hustle and bustle of city life.

Referring to a hot-air balloon installation, the cartoonist, who has tons of fascinating stories on his mind, says: "I have an idea that a hot-air balloon will fly away, taking Ali and his girlfriend to a place far away when the city is sleeping. And the next morning, they will come back, standing on the same spot again."

The installation Little Stone tells the story of a dream-chaser. A black stone keeps telling his friends that he will fly to the sky one day, but his friends laugh at him. Only the red fox Ali believes in the little stone's dream. Finally, the black stone flies to the sky and becomes a planet in the galaxy.

"I always believe there is a real red fox. As long as it is there, I will never forget about my dreams. I'd love to share that spirit through books and installations," adds Xu.

Xu is the second cartoonist to be involved in a large-scale installation show in Beijing. Before Xu, well-known picture book writer Jimmy Liao's works were displayed around Sanlitun in 2010.

Yao Suo, the curator of the two shows, says Xu's show is more optimistic, encouraging people to believe in good things while Liao's was directed at city dwellers' inner feelings.

Ali's installations will stay until Feb 16. Look out for a cute red mailbox among the installations where people can mail Ali's postcards to their loved ones.

All the installations will later tour some big cities. New installations will be added, based on the characteristics of each city, says Xu.

dengyu@chinadaily.com.cn