Gigantic mascots for 2025 Asian Winter Games make big debut splash on Songhua River in NE China's Heilongjiang

Photo shows "Nini", a gigantic Siberian tiger-shaped mascot for the 9th Asian Winter Games, being placed on the Songhua River in Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. (Photo/Yu Kun)

Two gigantic Siberian tiger-shaped mascots for the 9th Asian Winter Games were placed on the Songhua River in Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, on April 13, which marked the 300-day countdown to the opening of the Games in Harbin in February 2025.

Mascots "Binbin" and “Nini" stand 18 meters tall with a 23-meter diameter. Their design team went through nearly 20 proposals before settling on their current relaxed and comfortable posture of "sitting on the river" after three months of careful planning.

Due to strong winds and rapid currents on the river, installation of the enormous mascots was completed with support from multiple local authorities and institutions, including the Department of Transportation of Heilongjiang Province.

A crew of nearly 50 people is responsible for maintaining, examining and repairing the inflatable mascots.

Delighted to see the colossal mascots floating on the Songhua River, locals and tourists at the square of the memorial tower for flood control beside the Songhua River eagerly took photos and selfies on the river bank.

Visitors watch "Nini", a gigantic Siberian tiger-shaped mascot for the 9th Asian Winter Games on the Songhua River in Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. (Photo courtesy of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Heilongjiang Province )

The installation of the two mascots on the Songhua River was part of a series of activities hosted by the Department of Culture and Tourism of Heilongjiang Province to celebrate the opening of rivers in the province, reliable sources said.

Local culture and tourism authorities aim to use the 2025 Asian Winter Games to showcase the province's abundant cultural and tourism resources and attract more tourists.

Photo shows a night view of the square of the memorial tower for flood control beside the Songhua River in Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. (Photo courtesy of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Heilongjiang Province )

The mascots are scheduled to remain on the river for a week before embarking on separate journeys along the Songhua River and the Heilongjiang River, respectively, following the opening ceremony of a folk culture week on April 19.

The two mascots will eventually reunite in Heilongjiang's Tongjiang city where the two rivers converge, and then continue their journey to Fuyuan city in the province.