Hangzhou's new cartoon ambassador rolled out on 2019 Hangzhou Global Qipao Festival

HANGZHOU, China, Nov. 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hangzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, TV and Tourism launched a new, specially designed animated character sporting a qipao on the recently celebrated 2019 Hangzhou Global Qipao Festival. The new creation goes by the name of Hang Xiaoyi and will serve as Hangzhou's global ambassador. The government agency is also rolling out a lineup of innovative culturally-themed merchandise related to the traditional form of dress, with the aim of boosting sales at Hangzhou's many retail establishments by building the animated character as the city's cultural brand. As part of the event, 12 eye-catching pictures themed The Qipao Doll Hang Xiaoyi Is Going on A Trip were displayed, connecting all the locations where an activity related to the event has taken place, including Hangzhou, London, Paris and Vienna. On September 21, 2019, fifty primary school students from Hangzhou drew pictures of what they imagined to be Qipao dolls, showcasing what in their opinion is Hangzhou's most beautiful version of the dress.

Experience the interactive Multichannel News Release here:  https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8641451-2019-hangzhou-global-qipao-festival-success/

Hangzhou, a city rich in history and culture, and a bedrock of 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, is home to three World Heritage sites: West Lake, the China Grand Canal and the Liangzhu ruins. This year, Hangzhou, in collaboration with Chinese fashion designer Wu Haiyan, launched the Liangzhu series of Qipao by using Hangzhou Brocade, a Chinese intangible cultural heritage, as the dress's basic material, to represent the iconic Animal Face of God patterns found in Liangzhu culture jade, highlighting the subtility, serenity and warmth that are intrinsic qualities of classical oriental aesthetics.

Since 2017, Hangzhou has hosted Hangzhou Global Qipao Festival every year by integrating the natural landscape and cultural resources of the city. This year's event included a series of distinctive interactive Qipao culture-themed activities held in Hangzhou and ten other cities worldwide, including the launch of the Hangzhou Qipao Initiative, a worldwide dance event at which Qipao-dressed participants dance in unison, and a cultural innovative event featuring the Qipao doll Hang Xiaoyi. The lineup of events is designed to promote Hangzhou as a unique and vibrant Chinese city. To date, the online versions of the events have generated some 220 million views as well as more than 2 million comments, likes and shares.