Fuxi & Nüwa Panda Digital IP Design

The “Spirit of the Serpent” installation features a central 8.5-meter-tall “Fuxi & Nuwa Panda” lantern surrounded by eight smaller panda-themed sculptures, including a Sichuan Opera “Face-Changing Panda” and an “International Panda Band.” The year 2025 marks the Year of the Snake (Yisi Year) and celebrates the first Chinese Spring Festival after it was officially inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list. The project team explored how traditional customs, zodiac culture, and contemporary public art could converge to reinvigorate the cultural vitality of the heritage lantern festival. Inspired by the mythological origins of Chinese civilization, the “Fuxi & Nuwa Panda” merges the serpent-bodied deities Fuxi and Nuwa with the symbolic image of the panda, creating a surreal tableau of Eastern mythology. The male panda holds a chili pepper, and the female panda holds a candied hawthorn stick—symbols of Chengdu’s “sweet and spicy” cultural identity, representing warmth, joy, and the sweetness of life. Dressed in festive Han-dynasty attire, the pandas join hands beneath swirling auspicious clouds, surrounded by playful cubs, embodying the festive spirit of renewal and harmony. The “Face-Changing Panda” draws inspiration from the traditional art of Sichuan Opera, blending facial masks with panda imagery to celebrate the diversity and vitality of the art form—symbolizing Chengdu’s openness, creativity, and inclusiveness. Meanwhile, the “Panda Band”—with pandas performing on violin, snare drum, tuba, and flute—illustrates the joyful fusion of Eastern and Western cultures through sound and light. Technologically, the project employs advanced lighting materials that allow the lanterns to appear as sculptural artworks by day and transform into luminous light installations by night—resolving the long-standing issue of traditional lanterns losing visual appeal in daylight. This innovation achieves a “day-to-night aesthetic,” expanding the temporal and spatial experience of the festival. To extend engagement beyond physical space, the team launched an online campaign on Valentine’s Day 2025 titled “Fuxi & Nuwa Panda Spirits Flash Across Chengdu.” The digital animation depicted the panda spirits appearing across Chengdu’s CBD and iconic landmarks before arriving at the lantern festival site—creating an immersive connection between online storytelling and offline celebration.