BEIJING -- On Tuesday, the last meeting revealing new officially licensed Olympic products was held at the Beijing International Conference Center.
More than 1,000 kinds of new souvenirs will hit the market in light of the countdown to the Olympic Games, and of course, the fast approaching Spring Festival holiday.
Olympic products are affordable, high in quality, have Chinese characteristics, and are representative of athleticism and the competitive spirit.
Embodiment of tradition
Complicated Chinese knots, delicious roast duck, delicate paper cutouts, soft silk ... these are all traditional images that may come up when you think of China or Beijing. Amidst the new Olympic products, you can find traces of these national characteristics.
Clever designers have combined elements of traditional Chinese culture with Olympic symbols to create products delighting a vast number of fans and consumers.
There are over 200 days till the start of the Olympic Games. The athletic excitement has been captured by creative souvenirs. Olympic themes, including the "Bird's Nest" and "Water Cube," the main venues for the Olympic Games, have been memorialized.
For the people
Not only must products be quality assured, they must also be affordable to ordinary people so that everyone can share in the glory of the Games with a 2008 Olympic souvenir.
This has been the strategy for the creation of officially licensed products from the very beginning. The new merchandise introduced today fully embodies these concepts; many unique items are only 24-30 RMB, even with a limited supply.
Officially licensed Olympic merchandise is one of the three major components of the city's marketing plan.
Through these unique products, the host city hopes to promote the Olympic spirit by supporting Chinese enterprises in their efforts. This year, Olympic merchandise will continue to spread nationwide.
At present, these products cover over 7,000 kinds of commodities in 14 categories, and are sold in over 2,000 retail stores throughout the country, as well as online.
