"I just want an ice pier, but it's hard to find one."
Source/Winter Olympics promotional video
Recently, the mascot of the Beijing Winter Olympics, the ice pier, was fired out of the circle. As the Beijing Winter Olympics officially kicked off, overnight, the chubby, rounded ice piers transformed into the new top stream.
Who can say no to such a lovely ice pier? Not only the athletes participating in the Winter Olympics want it, but also the Chinese women's football team members who have just won the competition, and even the leaders of many countries want it. In order to obtain an ice pier, many citizens lined up in front of the Beijing Winter Olympics souvenir line stores overnight, and the popularity of the ice pier can be seen.
If you remove the plastic shell of the ice pier, you will find that the real body of the little guy is still the familiar and cute red panda. There are many precedents for the panda as the mascot of major events. So, what are the mascots based on pandas? Why do people prefer to use pandas as mascots?
Those races with pandas as mascots
China's use of pandas as a mascot for international competitions dates back to the 11th Beijing Asian Games in 1990.
Left: Panda Panpan at the 11th Beijing Asian Games in 1990. Source/ Gao Fuhua's "Peace Messenger Panda Bass"; right: The prototype of Panda Pan pan. Source/Zhongpin International Editor: The Buzz Era
I believe that many people still remember the mascot panda Panpan of the Beijing Asian Games. At the Asian Games that year, a passionate song "Asian Majestic Wind" aroused the sports enthusiasm and national pride of countless people. The image of the mascot Panda Panpan also appeared in the streets and alleys, becoming a mark of the times.
Pan Pan is based on a panda named Bass. Bath is known as the "Emperor Superstar", and his experience is also quite legendary: he visited the United States at the age of 7, became the prototype of the mascot of the Beijing Asian Games at the age of 10, appeared on the stage of the Spring Festival Gala at the age of 11, and extracted somatic cells for cloning research at the age of 18... Buzz became a superstar not only because of his cute appearance, but also because of his excellent acting ability. Generally speaking, in order to strengthen the body of the panda, the panda will be properly domesticated after arriving at the breeding base. During the domestication of the panda base professionals, Bass mastered various skills such as weightlifting and shaking boards, showing a unique talent for performance. At the age of 7, Bath traveled to San Diego as an Angel of Friendship. According to reports at the time, Buzz's arrival caused a stir in American society. When Bath finally left the Los Angeles airport, more than 200 kilometers along the way were rushed to bid farewell to the American people.
When the Mascot was selected for the Beijing Asian Games, Liu Zhongren, who was then an artist at Changchun Film Studio, designed Panda Panpan based on Bass. Soon, holding the gold medal in hand, the running hope appeared in the propaganda of the major media, "he summoned the blue sky, summoned the earth, and summoned the future", and the appearance of hope represented vitality and beauty.
Pandas who love sports look forward to it. Source/ Gao Fuhua's "Peace Messenger Panda Bass"
In addition to Pan Pan, the panda mascot that everyone is most familiar with is Fuwa Jingjing of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Jingjing is also a cute red panda, its black ears, arms and legs just make up the black ring of the five Olympic rings.
Fuwa Jingjing at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Source/Sumire Ed.: Chinese Culture
In the past two years of sports events, the panda as a mascot has appeared frequently. In the 14th Shaanxi National Games held in 2021, one of the mascots, Xiong Xiong, is also a red panda, which opens its arms and shows enthusiasm.
One of the mascots of the 14th Shaanxi National Games in 2021 is "Xiong Xiong". Source/Weibo @ People's Daily
In 2021, the mascot of the 31st Chengdu Universiade is a giant panda named "Rongbao". Probably because the competition was held in Chengdu, Sichuan, "Rongbao" is full of Chengdu style, and its image design also refers to the face style of Sichuan opera.
The mascot of the 31st Chengdu Universiade in 2021 is "Rong Bao" (left), and the right is the mascot of Sichuan Cultural Tourism. Source/Sichuan Observation
In addition to sports competitions, pandas are also used as mascots on other occasions. For example, the first China International Import Expo held in Shanghai in 2018, the mascot of the Expo is a panda named "Jinbao". "Jinbao" not only has the meaning of the treasure of the import expo, but also harmonizes with the sound of "zhao cai jinbao". The first CIIE not only showed the world the great achievements of China's reform and opening up, but also provided a platform for the world to further open up and accommodate. The panda "Jinbao" holds a four-leaf clover symbolizing luck and greets guests from all over the world with a smile.
The mascot of the 2018 China International Import Expo "Jinbao". Photography / Bean Y, Source / Figureworm Creative
Another example is the panda mascot of Air China's aircraft. Friends who have taken Air China's planes should be familiar with the mascot "Fat Anda". Before each takeoff, Fat Chubb appears on time on the small screen in front of the plane seat. The panda cooperated with the flight attendant's broadcast, bouncing around to introduce the safety matters before the trip, which was very cute and well-behaved. The name "Fat Anda" also means to arrive safely.
Panda mascot of Air China aircraft. Source/Screenshot of Air China related video
Why did you choose a panda as a mascot?
So many large-scale events have invariably chosen pandas as mascots, which shows the organizers' recognition of the image of pandas. The question is, why pandas?
Giant pandas can stand out from many animals, many times by virtue of their own strength. The panda is one of China's national treasures, the most well-known among rare animals, and has always been widely loved by the public.
Pandas nibble on bamboo. Photography / Meiya Visual Photography, Source / Figureworm Creative
Many competitions have mascot solicitation sessions in the early stages. In the process, the organizing committee often receives many design proposals from home and abroad. For example, at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, many animal figures competed for mascots. Sichuan elected giant pandas, Heilongjiang elected red-crowned cranes, Jiangsu elected the Monkey King, Yunnan elected golden snub-nosed monkeys, Qinghai Tibet jointly elected Tibetan antelopes... When judging online, the Monkey King elected by Jiangsu also has a high vote rate.
Is it the panda or the monkey king? Netizens have a heated discussion to this end, supporting the Monkey King's belief that the panda weighs heavier, and the spirit of sports competitions is "faster, higher, stronger", which is not appropriate, and then hopes to have been the mascot of the Asian Games; those who support the panda believe that the Monkey King is full of rebellious spirit and is not appropriate. In the end, after voting, the panda won a higher vote rate, and Fuwa Jingjing appeared on the stage of the Beijing Olympic Games. The mascot of the Beijing Olympic Games is not only the panda, but also the elements of other animals, such as Tibetan antelope, fish, and Jingyan.
An Olympic Fuwa that combines elements such as Jingyan and fish. Photography / An Aquamarine, Source / Figureworm Creative
In addition to popular love, pandas have another identity advantage over other animals - "diplomats". Don't underestimate these pandas, they have also played an important role in the field of diplomacy, which has been mentioned in previous articles.
Pandas mainly inhabit the territory of Sichuan Province, China, with figure-eight black circles and furry shapes that are loved by people all over the world. During the Republic of China, giant pandas have already attracted the attention of other countries. At that time, the Chinese people's awareness of the protection of rare animals was not strong, and many Western explorers traveled to northwest China to catch pandas and then transport them to other countries for exhibition. For example, the American banker Smith caught several pandas at the junction of Xikang in Sichuan province and sent them to a zoo in London, England. When talking about this experience in the newspaper, he once mentioned that "for the exhibition of giant pandas in various places, there will be a big advertisement."
In 1941, against the background of the outbreak of the All-out War of Resistance, Song Meiling and Song Xialing presented giant pandas to the United States. In his speech, Song Yiling said that this was "to express the friendship of our people to your country."
Give away news about pandas. Source/ News Service, November 10, 1941
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, giant pandas once became a link for foreign exchanges. According to the statistics of the book "Tianfu Cultural Studies", between 1949 and 1982, China gave 25 pandas to the Soviet Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan and other countries. Dunhou's cute giant panda has become a witness to the friendly relations between China and other countries in the world.
However, the donation of pandas did not last long. As a "national ceremony", the panda crossed the ocean to reach abroad, the mortality rate is high, and the breeding offspring also encounters certain difficulties. With the further strengthening of animal protection awareness, after 1983, the Chinese government donated giant pandas as loan exhibitions. Since then, exchanges between giant pandas have been carried out "in the form of loans or cooperation between the two sides for giant panda scientific research."
Cute giant pandas. Photography / Xida watermelon peel, source / figure worm creative
Although the way pandas go abroad has changed, the enthusiasm of the people of the world for giant pandas has not diminished. Even if the pandas are sleeping in the exhibition hall, they will attract many visitors. The cute image of the giant panda not only establishes the connection between man and nature, but also enhances the friendship between China and foreign countries. Ah Bao, the protagonist of "Kung Fu Panda", released many years ago, is a kung fu panda, and the exchange and fusion of Chinese and Western elements is reflected behind the movie.
Source/Clip from the movie Kung Fu Panda
The communication mission of "Ice Pier"
The overall image of the newly promoted top-notch ice pier symbolizes "the strong body, stoic will and inspiring Olympic spirit of the Athletes of the Winter Olympic Games".
Cao Xue, head of the mascot design team of the Beijing Winter Olympics and a professor at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, pointed out in an interview that the mascot design is mainly considered from three aspects: cultural, artistic and commercial. The reason why the panda was chosen is because in the eyes of the design team, "the only animal that represents China and makes the people of the world love is the panda."
The design of the ice piers in terms of details is also very exquisite. Transparent shell thanks to the inspiration of the sugar gourd. The colorful halo on the helmet is inspired by the ice ribbon of the National Speed Skating Hall, and the colored halo represents both the track and the 5G high technology. It is worth noting that there is a small love in the palm of the ice pier, which represents China's warm welcome to friends around the world as the host country. The name "Ice Pier" also has a big connotation, "Ice" means purity and strength, and "Pier" represents thick, healthy, lively and lovely.
By the way, we must not forget the same cute mascot Snow Rongrong. As the mascot of the Winter Paralympic Games, Xue Rongrong is based on lanterns, and the word "Rongrong" embodies the concept of exchange and harmonious development of world civilizations. In general, the design of the mascot and the details of the Winter Olympics enthusiastically express the beautiful vision of promoting exchanges and mutual learning among world civilizations and building a community with a shared future for mankind.
Having said all that, I want an "ice pier" even more!
Don't worry, according to the latest news reports, with the end of the Spring Festival holiday, the processing industry is stepping up to make ice piers. I believe that in the near future, the situation of a pier that is difficult to find will be alleviated. In front of the screen, have you realized one household and one pier in advance?
Source/Weibo @ People's Daily
bibliography:
Li Tianpei: "Lin Hai Exploring the Ghost", Science and Technology Press, 2013.
Sun Qian: Notes on giant panda culture, China Development Press, 2019.
"Designer tells the birth of "ice pier": the shell of ice crystals does not affect its transmission of warmth"
"Everyone Loves "Ice Pier": Designers Talk About Creative Concept - "A Pier Is Difficult to Find" Unexpectedly"
Beijing Winter Olympic Organizing Committee Official Website: "Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games Mascot Announced"
Source: WeChat public account: "National Humanistic History"
Author: Yun Chuan
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