Many of the iconic Olympic symbols, landmarks, artifacts and installations seen at the ongoing Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games were designed by artists from Tsinghua University.
Designing for the vision of a unique Olympic snowflake.
During director Zhang Yimou's romantic visual feast, the opening ceremony of the Winter Games, a giant snowflake installation formed by smaller snowflakes was revealed, while every national team was led by a snowflake-shaped placard. The snowflake concept was the core vision of Zhang's show.
Li Min and Song Chen, both graduates from the Department of Visual Communication of the Academy of Arts & Design at Tsinghua University (AADTHU) and current China Daily employees, participated in designing the snowflake for nearly three years.
The design went through more than 300 revisions. "Director Zhang's pursuit of aesthetics and control over the details of the final product is the ultimate, and every design draft is an unprecedented challenge," Li remembered.
She added that the snowflake design is seamlessly integrated with the "Chinese knot," an ancient Chinese craft of hand knitting that symbolizes solidarity and prosperity, and showcases simple, ethereal and romantic ice-and-snow aesthetics, embodying the Chinese understanding of "harmony in diversity."
Song also noted they designed the ideal contemporary expression of traditional spirit. "We made artistic innovation on the basis of inheriting traditional Chinese culture."
Closely associated with the snowflake, the elegant Olympic flame cauldrons placed at the three competition zones of the Beijing 2022 Games were designed by a team led by Professor Ma Sai of the AADTHU. The installations include Mobius Strip-inspired ice ribbons, giant snowflakes with olive branches, lights and big turntable pedestals.
The three Olympic flame cauldron installations will be permanently housed at the National Stadium in Beijing, as well as the other competition zones in Beijing's Yanqing District, and in Hebei province's Zhangjiakou city following the completion of the Games.
Ma said he organized more than a dozen teachers and students from the Department of Industrial Design and the Department of Sculpture at the AADTHU to work on the dynamic cauldron design since November 2020, after he was commissioned by the opening and closing ceremonies team for the Winter Olympics. He believed the final product perfectly demonstrates the Olympic spirit and concept, as well as the speed, action and passion for the Games while considering science and technology for the installations' structures and materials during inclement weather.
Beyond venues and for cultural influence and city attractions, another marvelous design is the Olympic torch, which was done by Li Jianye, an AADTHU alumnus and current chief industrial designer of Alibaba Group. The torch, named "Flying," spirals upward to resemble two fluttering ribbons that overlap.
According to Li, the torch is an upward spiral that resembles a budding plant, signifying continuous sprouting and growth. He also hopes the design can deliver a message of lighting a fire of hope to the world.
He added, "for me personally, designing this to serve my motherland is my honor. And the designing process of the torch is a journey to seek the roots of Chinese culture and spirit." On Feb. 2, he proudly ran with the torch during the torch relay in Beijing.
Besides these symbolic art designs, the efforts of AADTHU artists spread beyond the events and venues. A team led by Professor Du Yi from the Department of Environmental Art Design is responsible for city landscape designs, including promotional banners, signs, lighting, sculptures, decor and artwork installations across the Olympic parks and various locations in Beijing and Zhangjiakou.
Du went further, transforming a local 120-meter solar collector experimental tower in Yanqing District into a landmark Olympic tower by adding the five-ring installation, currently the biggest in the country, to the top and installing other decor and LED lights on the body of the tower. Dubbed "The Haituo Tower," it's become one of the most iconic images for Beijing 2022.
Meanwhile, Liu Qiang, an associate professor with the Department of Industrial Design led a team in a project for the Jingzhang High-Speed Railway, a critical high-speed railway section specially constructed for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. His team designed a logo for the railway, as well as murals, relief sculptures and plaques. Olympic elements were also added to the railway stations when they did the designs.
In addition, Wenjun Bottle, a traditional Chinese stylized ceramic bottle, designed by Professor Bai Ming from the AADTHU, was selected as the iconic and licensed merchandise product, as well as the official souvenir gift for Beijing 2022. The bottle is very "China," and represents Chinese culture, with embossed emblems of the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics. The slender bottle body and flowing lines echo the elegant, dexterous and rhythmic momentum and appearances of ice and snow sports, the designer said at a press conference.
Editor：Guo Lili
