Author 丨 Zheng Qingting
Editor 丨 Lin Hong
Figure Source 丨 Figure worm
At 8 p.m. on February 4, the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics was held at the "Bird's Nest" at the National Stadium. At the opening ceremony, lighting the Olympic flame was undoubtedly the most anticipated link for the audience. Zhang Yimou, the general director, said that the ignition method is very subversive, different from 100 years ago. Before the ignition method was revealed, in the afternoon of the same day, the 21st Century Business Herald reporter interviewed Li Jianye, the exterior designer of the Beijing Winter Olympic Torch and the chief industrial designer of Alibaba, at the Beijing News Center in 2022.
The overall appearance of the Beijing Winter Olympic Torch is extremely dynamic and dynamic, and the silver and red of the main body symbolize the meeting of ice and fire. The torch has an auspicious cloud pattern from bottom to top, and the clever gradient to the paper-cut style snowflake pattern is the inheritance and continuation of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The inner and outer double-layered structures dance like ribbons, and finally merge with the flying sacred flame.
Talking about the design concept of the torch, Li Jianye summed it up in one sentence, hoping to express Chinese culture and reflect the spiritual outlook of Chinese. Pointing to the dynamic, flowing red lines on the torch, he said that it implied a yearning for light, beauty and vigorous vitality, as well as the endless human life, the desire for peace, the pursuit of excellence and the power of the Olympic Movement.
Li Jianye said that from the perspective of shape, the torch is like a corner of a red flag, like a flying red ribbon, and like a flying leaf, behind these images is an expression of great Chinese cultural significance - Tao fa nature, the unity of heaven and man. "What I want to express is that man and nature should coexist in harmony, that is, the values of a community with a shared future for mankind."
At the same time, the lines of the torch are very dynamic, a bit like a track, a bit like a mountain, and a bit like a figure skater spinning. In this regard, Li Jianye said that he hopes that the torch can show the strength, speed and dynamics of the Olympic Games, and at the same time reflect the Olympic spirit of "higher, faster and stronger", it can also show the strength of unity.
According to reports, when the torches are handed over, the tops of the two torches can be tightly interlocked, just like shaking hands. This is both a design ingenuity and a symbol of the exchange and mutual learning of different civilizations, just like the vision of the Beijing Winter Olympics, which makes the world more aware and harmonious. At a time when the global pandemic is still spreading, the torch may be like IOC President Bach said: she is the light at the end of the dark tunnel.
Making the Beijing Winter Olympic torch fully display Chinese culture was the goal set by the design team from the beginning. Li Jianye introduced to the 21st Century Business Herald reporter that from the appearance, the "flying" torch contains rich Chinese elements, such as auspicious auspicious cloud patterns and paper-cut style snowflake patterns.
"I think the biggest Chinese element is the form of the red flag rolling... When I saw the movie "My Motherland and Me", the opening scene of the red flag fluttering gave me a great sense of strength, and I felt that every Chinese would feel very proud and proud when they saw it. At the same time, I feel that this hollow design is different from the closed form of many modern Olympic torches, it is a more open and inclusive expression. He said.
In addition, the unique way of burning is the first in the design history of the Olympic torch, the sacred flame is ignited at the mezzanine of the inner and outer streamers, forming a hovering fire dragon. Li Jianye said that this fire dragon is composed of 24 small and large flames on the combustion tube, symbolizing the 24 solar terms and also heralding the 24th Winter Olympics, which is a clever combination of tradition and modernity, while also demonstrating a cultural self-confidence.
In addition to humanistic elements, the "flying" torch also contains rich scientific and technological elements. In order to reflect the "green" Olympic concept, the torch material is made of carbon fiber three-dimensional weaving material, which reduces the weight of the torch, and the fuel uses environmentally friendly hydrogen fuel to achieve zero emissions from the torch combustion. This is the first large-scale use of hydrogen fuel in the history of the Olympic torch.
Editor of this issue: Li Yutong Intern Zhang Ke