Bing Dwen Dwen, the cute mascot of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, has been selling like hotcakes. Why is the ice-glazed panda so popular? What are the ingenious ideas behind its design? Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts professor Cao Xue, who is in charge of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics mascot design team, told the CMG the story.
Cao Xue clearly remembers the exciting day of September 17, 2019.
On this day, the Organizing Committee of the Winter Olympic Games officially announced the mascot designed by Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts as the mascot of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games. After discussion by many experts and scholars, the mascot got a new name - "Bing Dwen Dwen".
The image design manuscript of "Bing Dwen Dwen." /CMG
The image design manuscript of "Bing Dwen Dwen." /CMG
The 14-member design team led by Cao Xue are all teachers and graduate students from the School of Visual Arts and Design of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts. During that time, there were almost no holidays, and the whole team need to revise and discuss every day, and they ended up completing over 10,000 manuscripts. In the end, Bing Dwen Dwen, based on a panda, was selected from nearly 6,000 entries from 35 countries and regions.
Bing Dwen Dwen is a panda with a high sense of science and technology. It captures attention with its full-body "shell" made out of ice. Cao said the inspiration came from traditional Chinese snack "ice-sugar gourd," also known as tanghulu, which is candied hawthorns on a stick, while the shell also resembles a space suit – a nod to embracing new technologies for a future of infinite possibilities.
Prof. Cao Xue from Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, chief designer of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics mascot Bing Dwen Dwen. /CMG
Although the tanghulu idea was widely praised, it wasn't enough to represent the image of a big country. So the team tried again and again, changing the image in the ice shell into elk, tiger, rabbit ... Various ideas have been proposed and overturned, but eventually it was decided that China's national treasure panda is the most beloved by people all over the world.
In order to make the panda look more pleasant, Cao and his team members flew to China Wolong Daxiongmao Museum in Sichuan Province for field observation. They found that a baby pandas' head and body ratio is different from that of adult pandas, making them cuter. So they improved the image based on the baby panda.
Plush toys of Bing Dwen Dwen, the mascot of the 2022 Winter Olympics. /CFP
A detailed view as Bronze medalist Isabelle Weidemann of Team Canada holds a Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic mascot Bing Dwen Dwen during the Women's 3000m flower ceremony after the Women's 3000m on day one of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at National Speed Skating Oval, February 5, 2022 in Beijing, China. /CFP
As for Bing Dwen Dwen's popularity, Cao said he expected it to be popular, but did not expect it to become so popular. "Its ice shell is cold, but the image looks warm and lovely, I believe this kind of warmth can be something everybody feels," said Cao.
Cao said it was a great honor for all the team to participate in the design of the Winter Olympics mascots, and it was the best practical education for the students involved. "I hope it will become a classic, impressive memory in Olympic history," added Cao.