Beijing 2022 culture and ceremonies chief strives for better

BEIJING, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- As Beijing marks the one-month countdown to the opening of the 2022 Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, the Beijing 2022 organizers aim to do better on all aspects to deliver a successful Games.

Chen Ning, director of the culture and ceremonies department of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (BOCOG) introduced their business in six sections, which includes landscapes, sports display, award ceremony, torch relay, urban cultural activities and Winter Olympic cultural activities.

With the Winter Olympics being a celebration of both sports and culture, Chen stated that traditional Chinese culture played a very important role in the cultural presentation of the Beijing Winter Olympics that almost every design was influenced by the Chinese culture.

"The pictograms for the 2022 Games were inspired by Chinese calligraphy and seal carvings, combining elements of winter sports with traditional Chinese culture," Chen said. "With a GIF format, it is easier for media use and digital communication."

Inspired from a piece of Chinese jadeware called "Bi", the medals of Beijing 2022 are named "Tongxin", meaning "Together as one", which carries on the concept of jade from the 2008 Games and underlines Beijing as the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics.

Meanwhile, the Beijing 2022 torch also echoes with the design from 2008, with the patterns gradually changing from the auspicious clouds at the bottom to the snowflakes on the top.

According to Chen, some cultural display activities of the Beijing 2022 have been adjusted due to COVID-19, among which the torch relay will be delivered in both a traditional and innovative way in three days.

"We combined the traditional torch relay with the Olympic flame display by streamlining the scale and innovating the format," Chen said. "The Olympic spirit and the concept of the Beijing Winter Olympics will be promoted during the process, despite only a three-day duration."

"The choice of the torch relay route also reflects the 'Double Olympic City' heritage. Starting from the Olympic Park, a legacy of the 2008 Games, the torch relay will then move to the Winter Olympic Park, which will become another legacy after the Games, turning into a marathon base."

Unlike the Summer Games, Winter Olympic athletes will only receive souvenirs after the competition but receive their medals at an award ceremony held at the Medals Plaza by the end of the day or the next day.

Therefore, in order to create a better atmosphere for the athletes, there will be various performances during the award ceremony, Chen noted.

Besides the performance, BOCOG has planned a variety of cultural activities at all times, including a "Postcards of Love" campaign that invites fans to write postcards to their favorite athletes, which will be delivered to the athletes during the Winter Games.

As preparations for the Winter Games enter the final stage, Chen has sent an invitation to all participants who will soon gather for the Winter Olympics, "we will see you in Beijing."