What is the cultural image for the Beijing Olympic Games? Experts in art and design circles from Japan, Germany and China gathered at the Tongji University recently to discuss the "project".

A task force group was established in Nov 2003 under leadership of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) and College of Communication and Art of the Tongji University, which is meant to do researches regarding the cultural image for the Beijing Olympics.

According to Lin Jiayang, the head of the task force group, cultural image consists of visible and invisible images. The visible image includes logo, color and posters etc. These special images spread fast and have a wide audience. Invisible image refers to ideas and slogans.

For a designer the visible images are based on ideas. A good idea or slogan is like a brand name, which is able to create a distinctive image, an opinion or action.

For instance, the slogan let Olympic go home of the Athens Olympiads has four ideas -- "people", "heritage", "participation" and "celebration".

It is known that "Green Olympics", "High-tech Olympics" and "People's Olympics" are the themes of the 2008 Olympics.

How are the experts to form ideas with Chinese cultural characteristics, features of the time and international consciousness for the Beijing Olympic Games is the problem for the expert to solve.

The fundamental color of the Athens Olympic Games is blue, which stands for the Mediterranean and the Aegean culture. So what is China's fundamental color?

Director Zhang Yimou selected red color in his film for the Beijing Olympic Games. At the seminar, experts said China is a vast country with many nations. Every locality, every nation has its own color. Even the red color can be divided into orange red, scarlet, etc.

What color should China select then? Moreover the Olympic Game is to be held in August. Is it proper to use red color everywhere in the hot weather?

The research in this regard began a couple of years ago. Lin hopes to form a high quality research team that can contribute to the Beijing Olympic Games through the seminar.

(People's Daily January 28, 2005)