Xuanli Pan · CLIENT: Northeastern University of China
Xiushan Lantern is a branding and illustration project based on the Xiu Shan Lantern Dance, a national intangible cultural heritage of southeastern Chongqing. The design extracts lantern shapes, folk patterns, traditional colors and dance movements, and then retells them in a simple modern visual language. The illustrations are drawn with vector software and applied to cultural products, including red envelopes printed on recyclable paper and other items made of acrylic. The aim is to bring the lantern culture into daily life and to support its continuity.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- The work takes the national-level intangible cultural heritage, Xiu'an Lantern Dance, as the core for creation. It extracts its classic shapes, folk patterns and traditional colors, and reinterprets the traditional imagery with modern design language. By integrating contemporary aesthetics, it integrates the intangible cultural heritage into daily life. It not only inherits the regional cultural heritage but also gives a trendy expression to the lantern culture.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- 3600 x 3600 pixels, 300dpi, RGB
- Tags
- Branding, Visual Identity, Graphic Design, Cultural and creative product, Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage
- Production Technology
- This series of illustrations and patterns were created by the illustrator using vector design software. It is made through advanced printing and manufacturing techniques to showcase the exquisite details of the illustrations. Meanwhile, the red envelopes are printed on environmentally friendly and recyclable paper, while the other printed items are printed on acrylic materials.
- Design Challenge
- The main challenge of this design lies in how to extract the essence from the complex traditional elements of Xiu Shan Flower Lanterns, while preserving the original flavor of the intangible cultural heritage and transforming it into modern design language. At the same time, it is necessary to balance the cultural core and the practicality of cultural innovation, avoiding the rigid stacking of symbols, taking into account regional characteristics and contemporary aesthetics, and allowing the ancient intangible cultural heritage to truly integrate into modern life.
- Project Duration
- Launched in Chongqing, China in 2025.
- Operation Flow
- By extracting distinctive elements of Shouxian flower lanterns and dance movements for creation, the local cultural characteristics are highlighted. A set of eco-friendly materials is designed, balancing practicality and commemorative value. The local flower lantern performances usually take place during the Spring Festival. Therefore, this work combines the traditional Chinese red envelopes with Spring Festival items, integrating these cultural products into people's daily lives, in order to promote and strengthen the culture of Shouxian flower lanterns.
- Research
- Xiu Shan Lantern Dance, as a national-level intangible cultural heritage, is a precious folk culture treasure in the southeastern part of Chongqing. However, its dissemination form is traditional and disconnected from modern life, making it difficult to attract young people. This research uses cultural innovation as a carrier, delves into the core of the lantern dance culture, and revitalizes the intangible heritage through modern design, allowing traditional culture to integrate into daily life, and achieving the protection and innovative inheritance of regional cultural heritage.
- Inspiration
- The inspiration for this work comes from the intangible cultural heritage of Xishan Lantern Show in China. It extracts the lantern shape, folk patterns and dance movements, and integrates local culture. It translates the traditional intangible cultural heritage's charm with modern design language, eliminating the complexity and redundancy, allowing the ancient lantern culture to be integrated into daily life and achieving the inheritance of intangible cultural heritage.
- Image Credits
- Image #1 : Illustration Pan Xuanli 2025.
Image #2 : Illustration Pan Xuanli 2025.
Image #3 : Illustration Pan Xuanli 2025.
Image #4 : Illustration Pan Xuanli 2025.
Image #5 : Illustration Pan Xuanli 2025.
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