Slowdown, and awaken your dreams

Cartoon-themed installations by Xu Han are on display in China Daily

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.