Public artworks form important cultural heritage for the Beijing Winter Olympic Games

In July 2020, the Beijing Winter Olympics organizers kicked off a public artwork solicitation activity for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralympic Games. A total of 1,611 pieces of artwork were submitted by 1,313 participants from more than 50 countries and regions around the world. The 10 best submissions were voted on by the public, and they have been permanently placed in core positions throughout the different Winter Olympic arenas.

Photo shows a sculpture with its upper part featuring artistically designed curling stones and the lower part featuring two ski boards seen at the entrance square for the Yanqing competition zone of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. (Photo/People’s Daily Overseas Edition)

One of the 10 best artworks, an 8-meter-high sculpture with its upper part featuring artistically designed curling stones and a lower part featuring two ski boards, has been placed at the entrance square of the Yanqing competition zone of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

Tu Lala, a teacher with the Chengdu Vocational University of the Arts, based in Chengdu in southwest China, said the curling stones represent the athletes from all around the world who are set to participate in the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing next year. By stringing them all together he wants to express the notion that mankind is a close-knit community. The ski boards have been streamlined to symbolize the National Sliding Center, which is situated not far away by design.

Another artwork piece designed in the shape of a boat seeks to express traditional culture in a modern way. The 9-meter-long piece, co-produced by Zhang Mian and Zhi Min, two sculptors with the Chinese National Academy of Arts, has been placed along a river inside the Central Green Forest Park in Beijing’s Tongzhou district.

Photo shows an artwork piece which is in the shape of a boat. The 9-meter-long piece has been placed along a river inside the Central Green Forest Park in Beijing’s Tongzhou district. (Photo/People’s Daily Overseas Edition)

“It is a Winter Olympic boat which symbolizes China’s Winter Olympic dream. Its shape resembles the branch of an olive tree, which is an emblem of the Olympic spirit of peace,” Zhang introduced.

Because the two artists have been engaged in exploring ways to build modern sculptures with raw materials that embody traditional Chinese culture, they decided to give porcelain a try in the creation of the artwork. “Porcelain is a distinctive raw material that can express well the characteristics of Chinese culture, as well as being a universal art form. It is also an important medium to strengthen cultural and trade exchanges between China and the world,” said Zhi, explaining why they chose porcelain as the raw material for the artwork.

The boat was completed by the artists by sticking more than 10,000 porcelain particles into the main body of the boat. The color scheme applied in the boat is close to the color system of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, mixing 10 different colors to make the artwork able to remind people of snow and ice, providing a refreshing sight. “The particles indicate the power of individual athletes, when thousands of them are pieced together to form something much bigger, the artwork is able to skillfully demonstrate the Olympic spirit of unity and cooperation,” said Zhang.

Photo shows a sculpture consisting of a group of stainless mirror objects placed at the entrance of the sunken plaza of the Olympic Village in Beijing. (Photo/People’s Daily Overseas Edition)

Another sculpture consisting of a group of stainless mirror objects has been placed at the entrance of the sunken plaza of the Olympic Village in Beijing. According to Deng Le, the designer, the sculpture stands next to a square where the flag-raising ceremonies will be held during the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. When the national flags of different countries are being raised, their images will be seen on the mirrors as well, with this design attempting to convey a spirit of rising up to a higher level, which is very much like the Olympic spirit.

“The artworks are not just sculptures, but also an important part of what has been arranged for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games and a symbol of the Games,” said Lin Gang from the organizing committee’s public arts committee, who added that they will remind people of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, the city of Beijing and a certain point in time in the history of mankind.