This month, as China hosts the 15th National Games in Chongqing, two adorable mascots have stolen the spotlight 🤩. Xiyangyang and Lerongrong aren't just cute faces—they're symbols of a decade-long rise in homegrown cultural-creative design.
Lead designer Liu Pingyun told Sports Scene that over the past ten years, local talent has shifted from borrowing ideas abroad to crafting beloved visual symbols and intellectual properties right at home. "Bing Dwen Dwen showed the world what China can do in the cultural-creative market," Liu recalls, referring to the panda mascot that wowed global audiences at the Beijing Winter Olympics.
For Xiyangyang and Lerongrong, Liu blended everyday life elements with a "smoky-fire" warmth, creating characters that resonate with the public's emotions. The result? Mascots that feel like familiar friends cheering on athletes and fans alike.
With more than 2,800 cultural-creative products launched ahead of the Games, this wave of homegrown design is fostering genuine interaction between cultural products and the public, boosting their emotional value and showing the world China's creative pulse 💡.
Reference(s):
National Games mascot designer notes rise of homegrown cultural design
cgtn.com
