The mascots of the 9th Asian Winter Games - Siberian tigers “Binbin” and “Nini” - made their public debut amid cheers at the unveiling ceremony held in Harbin.

They were created by the team of the Academy of Fine Arts of Tsinghua University, symbolizing the in-depth exploration and shaping of the unique natural and cultural heritage of the Northeast - the Siberian tiger culture.

“Archetypes of ‘Binbin’ and ‘Nini’ are two cute little Siberian tigers born in September 2023 at the Siberian Tiger Park in Harbin,”Zhang Qixiang, the mayor of Harbin, vice-chairman and secretary-general of the Organizing Committee for the 9th Asian Winter Games, said at the ceremony. “Their names mean ‘Welcome to Harbin’, showing Harbin’s eager anticipation and sincere welcome to friends from Asian countries.”

“Binbin” represents the ice events as he shows off his winter sports wear and sharing his joy of ice dancing, while “Nini”represents the snow events, wearing traditional Chinese clothes.

In the traditional Chinese culture, the tiger is a symbol of good luck and has been endowed with many positive characters, among which “integrity”,“strength” and “courage” are highly consistent with the Olympic spirit.

“Binbin” and “Nini” well integrate the cute image of the tiger with the unique characteristics of Harbin’s winter ice and snow and folk cultures.