With the Asian Winter Games underway in China's renowned "ice city" Harbin, merchandise featuring the event's mascots, "Binbin" and "Nini", is gaining popularity for their adorable and creative designs.
The 9th Asian Winter Games, held from Feb 7 to 14 in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, is another major international winter sports event hosted by China, following the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022. A record high of over 1,200 athletes from 34 countries and regions are participating in this grand event.
An official merchandise store on Central Street is drawing steady crowds. From plush toys and refrigerator magnets to keychains and ornaments, a wide range of Games-themed cultural and creative products are available.
Chen Renbo, director of the store, said that mascots and other products showcasing local specialties are especially popular and sell out as soon as they hit the shelves.
"We have created cute, unique items like blind boxes and keychains with designs inspired by local specialties such as frozen pears, frozen persimmons, fried pork in scoop, popsicles, red sausage, rye bread, and stewed chicken with mushrooms. It's surprising how the Asian Winter Games merchandise has been creatively transformed into such fun forms," said Chen.
Mascot designer Chen Lei, a professor at the Academy of Arts and Design under Tsinghua University, hopes that the two popular mascots, as symbols of the Games, will also become a new name card of Harbin and contribute to the city's cultural tourism development.
"As Harbin's tourism heats up, with a great number of people from all over the country loving ice and snow culture and visiting the city for the Asian Winter Games, the influence of mascots 'Binbin and 'Nini' will spread beyond the city. They will become a rich legacy, continuing to contribute to Harbin's future development," said the designer.
Asian Winter Games mascot merchandise trending among consumers
