By Xinyi Li, iChongqing 

Chongqing- Since the Western China International Fair for Investment and Trade (WCIFIT) serves as an important platform for foreign trade and investment promotion in Midwest China, its logo has certainly drawn much attention. In an interview with Zhou Xiang and his team, the creator of this logo introduced his creativity and design ideas.

Chengdu Lixiang Culture & Creative Co., Ltd., the company Zhou Xiang works for, conducted the daily internal appraisal among three to five drawings. They aim to highlight the core elements of international, west and Chongqing. Through days of working overnight, the team completed more than 30 drafts and finalized this one.

This logo, shaped like the earth, seems to be Xi, which is a Chinese character and literally means west, composed of seven colored lines. The forceful and lifeful style symbolizes the key role of WCIFIT as a bridge for international investment and trade, and as a window for Chongqing to carry forward opening-up.

The logo of WCIFIT symbolizes the key role of WCIFIT as a bridge for international investment and trade, and as a window for Chongqing to carry forward opening-up

As Zhou Xiang introduced, Xi represents the gathering of the 12 enthusiastic provinces, including autonomous regions or municipalities, in West China. The sharp style embodies the new pattern of the Western Development Strategy. These powerful crisscrossed strokes show the requirement proposed by President Xi Jinping that Chongqing should develop itself into a city with dual geographical importance working to achieve twin goals and parallel progress in its growth strategy and solid progress in four areas. This character has also revealed another meaning that Chongqing plays as a vital strategic city for the Western Development Strategy. The flowing lines, like the Silk Road and the surging Yangtze River, imply the role of Chongqing in connecting the Belt and Road and the Yangtze River Economic Belt. The powerful and colorful strokes seem to be revolving around the earth-shaped principal part, indicating that Chongqing is striving to build itself into an exemplary inland city of opening-up with charming natural landscapes while promoting high-quality development and improving the well-being of citizens.

With widespread and profound connotations from a global perspective, this design reflects the internalization of WCIFIT. The horizontal and vertical lines, as the symbol of the bond & connection, give expression to the interrelation of China Railway Express with such important national channels as New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor and Yangtze River Economic Belt. Through  interconnectivity, it aims to share the new opportunities brought by the construction of economic corridors. “The seven different colors stand for the continents in the world. Such an international-style color combination, therefore, offers an attractive and energetic visual feast with the characteristics of the age of globalization.” Zhou Xiang said.

Furthermore, the top of the logo is the letter C. As the initial of both China and Chongqing, C also signifies charm, capability, capital, chance, cheery, etc., implying that Chongqing is a charming, capable, and pleasant land with cultural appeal and full of chances.

The winding letter is like the rotation of the earth. Zhou Xiang said, “Rotation is a symbol of continuous innovation and progress. Based on the western market, Chongqing is making efforts to go global. As the logo shows, Chongqing, with the focus on regional development from an overall perspective, will offer large-scale regional services. It is also the manifestation of a brand new development pattern of an exemplary inland city of opening-up.”