Chongqing- This year, the 4th Western China International Fair for Investment and Trade (WCIFIT) will be held at the Chongqing International Expo Center from July 21 to 24. In this year's WCIFIT, the mascots "Xi Bao" (West Treasure) and "Xi Mei" (West Maiden) were released for the first time. In this article, we will discover how the mascots were created.
The whole set of mascot products (Photo provided to iChongqing)
WCIFIT's mascots are based on the Chinese character "xi"
As one of the first WCIFIT mascots, Xi Bao wears a blue suit and enthusiastically waves his right hand. Wearing a red dress, Xi Mei is a lively girl who welcomes everyone with open arms. In other words, the WCIFIT is a platform for China's inland opening-up, which is the inspiration for the two lovely mascots - "xi" (literally west).
Every detail of the mascots represents something symbolic, according to the designer. The hairpin on Xi Mei's head bears the logo of WCIFIT. Further, the wreaths around the necks of Xi Bao and Xi Mei, which represent the fair's success, were made with flowers from the twelve western provinces and municipalities. These flowers also signify the blossoming of friendship and cooperation throughout the world.
Dolls of mascots (Photo provided to iChongqing)
Besides, the colorful patterns on Xi Mei and Xi Bao's faces symbolize friendship between people from all over the world, similar to the rainbow and its combination of several colors into one. The rainbow-style pattern symbolizes the integration and development of the world. All colors are bright and vivid, representing Chongqing's open-mindedness and enthusiasm.
Over 100 times of modifications within half a year
Although WCIFIT is an international event and an influential platform for business, trade, and investment in western China, it has never had an exclusive icon. Hence, the idea of designing a mascot for it was born. As the creator of the design team recalled, the team collected information from various large-scale and important exhibitions, including Smart China Expo, to design a mascot that would align with the fair's theme.
However, Xi Bao's and Xi Mei's design was more difficult than expected.
Badges of mascots (Photo provided to iChongqing)
Several exhibition mascots are modeled after representative animals, according to the designers of the WCIFIT. For example, the mascot for the China International Import Expo is a panda, and the mascot for the ASEAN Expo is a white-headed langur native to Guangxi.
When choosing an animal for Chongqing, the design team seemed to have reached a dead end. After someone said that the mascot did not have to be an animal, the twist disappeared from the story. As they brainstormed, they came up with some worth considering ideas. There were many options available to them, and among them were Chongqing's city flowers - the camellia, hot pot, Mountain City, and so on. It seemed as if every idea proposed was vetoed. Despite countless discussions among the team members, eventually, the team was able to agree to turn the Chinese character "xi" into a cartoon icon.
After hundreds of modifications within more than half a year, Xi Bao and Xi Mei were finally crowned as the new mascots of the WCIFIT after the design team added a wreath, pattern, gestures, etc.
Take Part in WCIFIT Online with Xi Bao and Xi Mei
Refrigerator magnets mascots (Photo provided to iChongqing)
There will be two exhibition areas for investment, trade, and industry promotion this year, with 12 pavilions. Meanwhile, online exhibitions and the official websites of the exhibitions will be synchronized at the same time. Various dolls depicting Xi Bao and Xi Mei can be found throughout the offline exhibit hall. Furthermore, the exhibition by Xi Bao and Xi Mei will be accompanied by online animated videos as a guide for the audience.
As well as souvenirs, Xi Bao and Xi Mei badges and refrigerator magnets will be available for sale, as well as refrigerator magnets.
(Tan Sirui, as an intern, has contributed to the report)