Though only 15 years old, Wang Yi'nan has already gained a rich Olympic experience that his contemporaries in the country can hardly match.

The boy, known as "the little Olympic painter" and "the child envoy of Beijing's Olympic bid," participated in the Beijing leg of the Athens 2004 Olympic Torch Relay early last month. He and his family were chosen as the representatives of all local families to participate in the Great Wall leg of the historic event.

"It was an unforgettable experience," said the boy. "But if I had gotten to carry the torch in Beijing itself, I think I would have been even more thrilled."

Marvelous as it was, the ceremony was not the boy's first Olympic experience. He has a long story to tell about his connection with the Olympics.

Global competition

It began in early 2000.

Xiao Hui, Wang's mother, was told by some friends that a Global VISA Children's Imaginative Art Olympics Contest was going to be held. She brought home a registration booklet for the contest. "I thought it would be a good opportunity for Yi'nan to improve his imaginative and creative abilities," she said.

Initiated in 1994 by the United States VISA credit card company, the contest challenges school children from 9 to 13 years of age to use their imagination to create an original piece of art that represents what the Olympic motto of "Citius, Altius, Fortius" (Faster, Higher, Stronger) means to them. The year 2000 was the first time China was represented in the competition.

Wang, then a fifth grader at Beijing Primary School, was not confident about his chances in an international competition.

"At first I didn't want to take part in the competition," he recalled. "I didn't think I had even a ghost of a chance of winning a global contest, but my mother encouraged me to enter, saying that even if I didn't win, it would still be a valuable experience."

The reward for participating in the contest, however, proved to be far more than just gaining some experience. Wang's work was chosen from the entries of 300,000 children in China for the Grand Prize for the China Division.

Titled "Five Members of My Family Watching the Olympics," the painting features the five excited faces of the family. Besides his own and his parents' faces, the faces of his beloved dog and cat are also included in the picture.

In their eyes, or glasses, the young painter put images of Olympic events or themes related to the games.

"In one of my eyes is the Sydney Opera House which shows my great love of music," explained Wang.

The novel idea that the Olympic Games belong to the whole world, human beings and animals alike, inspired the adjudicators to select the work as the grand prize winner.

Wang and another grand prize winner, Zhao Yue, an 11-year-old girl from Chengdu of Southwest China's Sichuan Province, won the chance to attend the 27th Olympic Games held in Sydney, where Wang's painting was exhibited at the front entrance of the IMAX Theatre in Darling Harbor.

"I was thrilled to be able to attend the Olympic Games in Sydney," said Wang. "But the most exciting thing is that I contributed to Beijing's bid for Olympics."

Wang was the child envoy of Beijing's Olympic bid, and never forgot his mission for even a moment during his stay in Sydney.

He posted placards for Beijing's bid in their hotel room. Whenever people paying visits asked him about Beijing, he told them it is a city with 3,000 years of civilization. He also told them that China accounts for one-fifth of the world's population.

"So the Olympic spirit will be broadly extended if Beijing has the honor of hosting the Games, I told them," he said.

Thanks to his efforts and those of many others', Beijing won the bid on July 13, 2001.

"That day was the eve of my middle school entrance examination," said Wang. "But I was so excited I couldn't sleep. I nodded off for a couple of hours. That's all."

Fortunately, he passed the examination with a high score, and for the following three years, the boy's Olympic passion continued to soar.

He is well-known for his portraits of Olympic celebrities, including big names like Jacques Rogge, Juan Antonio Samaranch, and Charles Billich. All were impressed by his talent and expressed their appreciation.

World acclaimed Australian artist Billich even called Wang his "little friend," and invited him to the special ceremony for the first brush stroke of his new painting for the Beijing Olympics, in April this year.

Now a student in the middle school attached to Renmin University of China, Wang looks no different from other middle school students in China. What sets him apart from other teenagers is his extraordinary talent as a painter and his mature communication skills.

Happy education

Born into a family of amateur photographers, Wang evidenced a special talent for painting at an early age.

"Yi'nan liked to draw on things when he was only one year old," said his mother Xiao Hui. "But nine out of 10 kids do that. Whether they can turn their doodling into art depends on choosing the right approach to develop any potential they might have."

An avid art lover herself, Xiao works as an accountant, but the monotonous work does not stop her pursuit of art. She even considered quitting her job to devote all her time to her beloved photography. Eventually she decided to see her dream realized in her child.

"It was a painful decision, for you have to give up your dream," she said. "But the moment I decided to bring him into this world, I said to myself I must be a good mother."

She means what she says. While many children in China are forced to attend various courses in which they have no interest, Xiao's son has always been allowed to cultivate his talents through a "happy education."

She never exerts much pressure on him, but stimulates his interest by creating a healthy painting and studying environment.

At the age of one, Wang was fascinated by cars. Noticing this, Xiao and her husband Wang Xin, also an accountant, bought albums and models of cars and encouraged him to do sketches.

When he was 5, his parents sent him to the Chinese Children's Art Center, where he met some of the best art educators in China.

When their son showed interest in drawing animals, they brought home a dog, a cat, a parrot, two rabbits, and even crabs. Their dog, named "Naonao" (Naughty), and their cat, "Guaiguai" (Well-behaved), are Wang's best friends. He even calls the cat his "little sister."

"My little sister gives me many inspirations," said Wang. "And I should learn from her, for she is always easy-going, while I am a bit shy and spoiled."

This is a typical Wang Yi'nan-style statement -- intelligence cloaked in a modest demeanor.

Surprisingly, the painting prodigy has never thought of making painting his career; instead, he dreams of becoming a designer or architect.

"You know my idol? Da Vinci," said the boy. "He is not only a great artist, but also a scientist, a mathematician, an engineer and an architect. I admire people who develop in an all-round way."

Not at all unlike his idol, Wang excels in writing, math, physics and computer skills.

In the 14th National Physics Contest for Middle School Students held in June this year, he won the second prize.

"I was gunning for the first prize," claimed the boy. "I hope I can pull it off in high school."

He has other goals as well.

"I will have become a college student by 2008," said Wang. "I hope that I will have staged many solo shows of 'mature' works by then, including traditional Chinese paintings. It's a fine way to promote our own art."

Will the shows still focus on the Olympics? The 15-year-old artist, without hesitation, said, "Yes."

(China Daily July 13, 2004)