On June 1, Chongqing City Transportation Development & Investment Group officially released the "Rail Connects the Metaverse" series of digital collectibles, China's first series of digital collectibles in the field of rail transit.

The year 2021 is called the epoch-making year for the metaverse. The world's leading companies have leveraged digital collectibles to increase their cultural influence and brand communication power in the metaverse.

Released on June 1, Shuttle is the first piece of Chongqing's "Rail Connects the Metaverse" series. With a fairy-tale painting style, the creator uses rich imagination to merge the fish and the track into one, symbolizing people's shuttle through the intersections of the real world and the virtual world. The work symbolizes the harmonious coexistence of humanity with nature.

Chongqing has built and opened 11 rail transit lines with 417 kilometers of operation. Rail transit is more than means of transportation for Chongqing citizens. It also represents a way of life, a cultural and tourist attraction, such as the famous 'cyberpunk' Liziba Station, where the monorail trains go through a residential building.

"Chongqing Rail Media is always responsible for exploring and trying new marketing models and expanding brand market boundaries for our clients," said Ding Xiangle, editorial board member of the Metro News-Press and deputy general manager of Chongqing Rail Media, adding that the release of the "Rail Connects the Metaverse" series of digital collectibles is mainly to enhance the cultural influence of Chongqing Rail Media in the metaverse era.

Why is a digital collectible more marketable than a typical collectible?

Digital collectibles (NFTs) use blockchain technology to create unique digital credentials (non-fungible tokens) for designated work or artwork. Based on the protection of its digital copyright, it will achieve real and credible digital issuance, purchase, collection, and use, with a value linked to the physical works.

It is reported the "Rail Connects the Metaverse" series uses different forms of artistic expression to create six themes of shuttle, cloud, mountain, star, bridge, and metaverse, showing the unique charm of rail transit in the mountain city of Chongqing, that is, trains can magically shuttle through the buildings, on the bridges, and in the clouds and flowers. Chongqing's modern rail transit presents a beauty integrating nature and the city.

The first digital collectible of the series was released on the Alibaba Auction, and the rest will be released one after another according to the creation progress.