Licensed Winter Olympics products shine light on China's intangible cultural heritage

BEIJING, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- As the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Chinese Lunar New Year approach, licensed Winter Olympics merchandise featuring the country's intangible cultural heritage has become some of the most sought-after festival gifts.

"The licensed products of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics with elements of Chinese culture have been well-received since their debut. Average daily sales can even hit 700,000 yuan (about 110,000 U.S. dollars)," said Niu Chao, general manager of a flagship store selling licensed Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics merchandise on the Wangfujing shopping street in downtown Beijing.

There are more than 5,000 franchised products with creative and elaborate designs, including badges, toys, keychains, accessories, ceramics, e-stamps and papercut artworks, according to the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

To mark the 10-day countdown to the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, organizers launched an online store on Jan. 25 to make the upcoming Winter Games more accessible to the public.

Since Jan. 10, sales of skiing equipment have seen a year-on-year increase of 51.9 percent, and sales of Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics souvenirs have increased 26.9 times, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Commerce.

A series of Beijing 2022 seals made of jade, gold, silver and bronze have attracted many customers and collectors, showing the beauty of China's intangible cultural heritage and the charm of the Winter Olympics, Niu said.

Teaware decorated with the iconic Beijing 2022 sky blue is also popular among customers. Teaware craftsman Jian Chuanyi said that a set of high-grade teaware needs to go through more than 20 steps before it is complete. Though modern manufacturing machinery exists, many steps still require the experience of artisans.

To create the most desirable color, the temperature, air pressure and humidity during the firing process should be skillfully controlled, and it took artisans more than three months to determine the most appropriate heating duration.

The essence of traditional Chinese culture is not only evident in the venues of the Winter Games, but also in the licensed products characterized by the iconic venues.

The National Ski Jumping Center in the Zhangjiakou competition area, north China's Hebei Province, is also known as "Snow Ruyi" as it resembles the shape of a "Ruyi," a traditional Chinese ornament symbolizing good luck.

At Niu's official store, a Ruyi-shaped jade ornament decorated with gold easily catches attention, presenting auspicious wishes for the coming Winter Olympics.

The licensed merchandise reflects the integration of Chinese artistry and the Olympic spirit, and the convergence of the Winter Games with traditional Chinese culture, said Guo Lei, who works in the marketing department of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

The products have helped convey the blessings of masters and artisans for the coming Winter Games, and pass on the fine cultures and arts of the Chinese nation to the whole world, Guo said.