Editor's note: The translators KUANG Haoxuan and WANG Zhuoran are students of School of Foreign Languages and Literature of Beijing Normal University.

February 11, 2022. Source: Chinanews.com

By Wen Longjie, CNS, Beijing.

Since Grenoble 1968, mascots have become an indispensable part for Winter Olympics. Being eyecatchers that help create an Olympic atmosphere, they serve to demonstrate the ideas of the host and the history and culture of the host country.

Bing Dwen Dwen is the panda mascot for Beijing Winter Olympics. “Bing”, which means ice in Chinese, is a symbol of purity and strength and a characteristic of the Winter Games. While “Dwen Dwen”, or “chubby” in Chinese, means sincerity, health, vitality and loveliness, representing the strong body, tenacious will and inspiring spirit of the Winter Olympic athletes.

So chubby and adorable, Bing Dwen Dwen is a perfectly fitting mascot for the Winter Games. However, its skyrocketing popularity still caught many by surprise, including the designers themselves, who said they had not expected such a situation.

Reported by CNS. Photograph: Xu Congjun

Bing Dwen Dwen souvenirs have been sold out in online stores and customers have to wait in long lines at offline stores to try their luck. Given the scarcity of the mascot, some netizens joked that the little panda has become a “rigid demand for every household” that needs to be “satisfied”. Local crowds are not the only ones obsessed by Bing Dwen Dwen. Albert II, Prince of Monaco, asked if he could bring two pieces of Bing Dwen Dwen home for his twins. Gido Tsujioka, a Japanese journalist, showed off his Bing Dwen Dwen collections in front of the camera. Bing Dwen Dwen even became a trending Olympic topic on Twitter.

Bing Dwen Dwen memorabilia for medalists on Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. Photograph: Fu Tian/CNS

Bing Dwen Dwen is forming a bridge between China and the world. Three reasons are behind this connectedness.

The first one is the Chinese elements. The panda is a national emblem for China and a significant “symbol” for foreigners to learn about China. Needless to say, Bing Dwen Dwen’s chubby and lovable panda look is the principal reason for its popularity. However, it should be noted that its prevalence also reflects worldwide inclination to learn about, approach and communicate with China.

The world has seen China gradually becoming a determined, confident and responsible major country directed by the idea of building a community with a shared future for mankind. Faced with the challenges of COVID-19, China has managed to deliver a simple, safe and exhilarating Olympics as planned, boosting the harmony and solidarity of the world.

Putting aside the gloom of COVID-19, Beijing 2022 provides a platform for athletes to perform to their best and spectators to share their happiness with each other. More or less, these emotions are projected to Bing Dwen Dwen. The widespread fondness of this cute panda reflects a shared emotional engagement towards Beijing 2022.

Gu Ailin (Eileen Gu), with a Bing Dwen Dwen in her hands, celebrates her victory in the women’s freeski big air of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, February 8, 2022. Photograph: Mao Jianjun/CNS

The second is the comprehensive symbolic meanings. Bing Dwen Dwen is a comprehensive embodiment of the various symbolic meanings. “From the inside out”, it provides an all-around image for people in China and abroad to understand the Beijing Winter Olympics.

The mascot’s head shell is taken from the helmet for winter sports. The surface of the shell is decorated with a colorful ribbon, and the flowing bright-colored lines symbolize the track of winter sports and the 5G technology.

The heart-shaped pattern in the palm of its left hand represents China’s warm welcome to friends around the world.

The combination of the panda image and the super-energetic ice-crystal shell reflects the characteristics of winter sports and modern technology.

The whole image resembles an astronaut, which symbolizes the exploration of the future. It reflects the pursuit of excellence, the vision of the times, and the infinite possibilities of the future.

Slovenia’s Gloria Kotnik kisses her Bing Dwen Dwen at the Beijing Winter Olympics. Photograph: Zhai Yujia/CNS

The third is the shared aesthetic language. Whether it is the image of panda or other kinds of symbols, they all need a unified aesthetic language about design; otherwise, these elements would be merely a cluster of unrefined materials with vague concepts. Bing Dwen Dwen’s worldwide popularity is precisely the success of the shared aesthetic language between China and the West.

Bing Dwen Dwen wears an ice shell and has an ice ribbon on its face – Everyone thinks it looks good; in fact, there are basic principles behind the beauty of form, and an important one is “contrast and unity”, said Cao Xue, the head of the design team of Bing Dwen Dwen and a professor of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts.

This “contrast and unity” is also reflected in many aspects, including the hardness of the ice shell and the softness of the plush panda, the transparency and opacity, the black and white on the whole, and the five different colors of the ice ribbon...

Bing Dwen Dwen cheered for the athletes together with spectators during the snowboard competition at the Beijing Winter Olympics, February 10, 2022. Photograph: Zhai Yujia/CNS

The traditional Chinese aesthetic thought of yin and yang emphasizes “the harmony in opposition” and “the balance of yin and yang”, believing that everything contains both yin and yang; and only when the two opposites are in harmony will there be divine beauty. Western aesthetics also believes that beauty is harmony, and harmony is the unity of complex matters in a certain manner. For example, the beauty of music lies in the composition of harmonious melodies with different tones.

The ultimate core of design is philosophy, and the philosophy of East and West shares a wide range of common notions, which provides insight into everything in our world, said Cao. This is both a centuries-old human wisdom and the secret of Bing Dwen Dwen’s worldwide popularity.

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