A performer showing her rabbit toy at a Spring Festival celebratory event in Berlin last month.[Photo provided by Ren Pengfei/Xinhua]

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People's Republic of China has launched a cute and soft rabbit figure, which has a pair of big, long ears, and a red suit with golden trim, to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit. Designed by artists from the Central Academy of Fine Arts, the doll is named "auspicious rabbit". Not only is it eye-catching, but a meme featuring the cuddly character is also attracting attention, and has been shared nearly 100,000 times on the WeChat platform alone.

During Chinese New Year, this rabbit "traveled overseas" and was presented, as a gift, to many politicians and celebrities in various countries, sending the festive wishes of Chinese people to their international friends in Russia, Switzerland, Germany, Japan, and many other destinations.

In addition to the image of this "auspicious bunny", as a symbol of Chinese zodiac culture, the rabbit has naturally and subtly brought countries closer together during the Spring Festival holiday.

A rabbit-themed tram runs through the streets of Rome; the ice sculpture of a rabbit shines on the ridge of the Jungfrau in Switzerland; and China, Hungary, Fiji and other countries have jointly issued stamps for the Year of the Rabbit.

Leaders from different countries have also expressed their love for the rabbit and their hopes for the lunar new year. For example, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres delivered a video message marking Lunar New Year, while the Prime Minister of Thailand, Prayuth Chan-ocha, dressed in a traditional Chinese costume and holding the "auspicious rabbit" in his hands, sent his best wishes to people in Mandarin.

With the start of the Year of the Rabbit, the animal that rules this year in Chinese tradition — believed by many as one of the gentlest and most adorable of the 12 zodiac signs — has become the star of numerous exhibitions around the world, from the United States to Portugal.

In May 2019, Christie's in New York auctioned a 104-centimeter-high stainless steel sculpture, Rabbit, for $91 million. The polished metal sculpture emulates the style of a balloon animal. The sky-high price made its creator, Jeff Koons, the world's most expensive living artist. He is just one of many artists who have created art based on the floppy-eared mammal.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York recently launched Celebrating the Year of the Rabbit, an exhibition that will run until Feb 4 next year. It brings together 16 outstanding works of Chinese art from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection, stating that the rabbit is a popular character that often appears in Chinese literature and folk tales, and has been an important artistic subject since ancient times.

The image of the rabbit first appeared on jade pendants and bronze objects that were used in rituals during the Shang (c. 16th century-11th century BC) and Zhou (c. 11th century-256 BC) dynasties. According to Chinese mythology, the rabbit inhabited the moon to accompany fairy Chang'e and prepares the elixir of immortality. The legend was embodied on the backs of bronze mirrors from the 8th to 10th centuries, and was embroidered in silk patterns of the 19th century.

Recently, a Portuguese artist presented a collage featuring rabbits made from waste material from the streets of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia, resulting in relief-like images. The collage, entitled Half Rabbit, is an imposing, 10-meter-high work of art. As an expression of street art, it was created by the artist Bordallo II with the help of the nonprofit art group, Mistaker Maker.

Located on the protruding corner of a building, the artwork features a rabbit, which on one side of the wall is bright and colorful, and on the other drab shades of browns and grays. It was designed to raise awareness of the environment by drawing the attention to the amount of waste people discard.

Zhang Yiwu, professor of the Department of Chinese and director of the Cultural Resources Research Center at Peking University, said in a previous interview with China News Service that the world's common understanding of the "Chinese concept" stems from both the nature of the festival itself and the rise of China.

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