Chinese culture integrated into Beijing 2022 merchandise

A staff member shows the emblem seals of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, July 29, 2019. Authorized by the Beijing Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, emblem seals made of Hetian greenish white jade and gold were set to be issued with limited numbers later this week, announced the BOCOG on July 31, 2019. A total of 2,022 jade seals and 5,000 gold ones will be released to the market on Saturday, according to the organizers. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuwei)

BOCOG has now developed more than 3,000 licensed merchandise products in 15 categories.

BEIJING, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Beijing Winter Olympics licensed merchandise focuses on exploring the symbol of Chinese civilization, hoping that people around the world can better feel the spirit of Chinese culture, better understand Chinese people's values and development concepts, and to showcase the profound and charm of Chinese culture more comprehensively, said an official of the organizing committee.

Piao Xuedong, head of the marketing development department of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Winter Games (BOCOG), said in an interview that BOCOG has now developed more than 3,000 licensed merchandise products in 15 categories. "Among all the merchandise on the market, there are not only commemorative products like stamps, handicrafts, precious metals, gold and silver coins, and other collectibles, but also practical products like apparel, stationery, umbrellas, bags and suitcases, and outdoor items," said Piao. "With a variety of styles, we hope to meet the needs of different groups of people fully."

As China hosts the Winter Games for the first time, Winter Olympics-themed commemorative stamps and coins and many other products that highlight the important historical moments of the Beijing 2022 are of collection value for consumers who are interested in collecting Olympic merchandise.

Piao revealed that so far, BOCOG has signed 61 licensed retail enterprises, and opened licensed merchandise retail stores in Beijing, Hebei, Tibet, Xinjiang and other 14 provinces. An official Olympic flagship store is published on the Tmall platform, while 280 high-speed rail lines covering 31 provinces have established distribution channels. In addition, Bank of China, China Post, Anta, China Unicom, China National Petroleum, Sinopec and other sponsoring enterprises have successively started brick-and-mortar sales.

"For domestic and international consumers who cannot go to the Games to buy souvenirs, it is very convenient to buy licensed merchandise through these channels," Piao revealed the official flagship store is carrying out online live broadcasting in light of the rising live broadcasting promotion and sales model.

Piao said that during the design and development process of the licensed merchandise, by exploring the representative symbols of Chinese civilization, they hope to make people around the world better feel the spirit of Chinese culture, better understand the values and development concepts of Chinese people, and to showcase the profound connotations and charm of Chinese culture in a more comprehensive way.

As the name card of a country and the face of a culture, licensed merchandise can play multiple roles in telling the story about China.