YeZhang's Summer Palace Tour: A Cultural Odyssey

Reviving Heritage in a Modern Voyage of Discovery

The Summer Palace, a World Heritage Site, is set to celebrate its historic milestone by launching the "Summer Palace Tour," a cultural initiative designed by YeZhang. This project aims to provide over 20 million anticipated visitors in 2024 with an immersive journey through the palace's storied past, transforming it into an international visual icon. The design team's innovative approach breathes new life into the palace's narrative, ensuring its legacy continues to captivate a global audience.

Distinctive in its use of 2.5D style, YeZhang's team has meticulously illustrated over 20 traditional Chinese buildings, infusing the designs with a vibrant palette of black, red, and green. This approach not only showcases the architectural splendor of the Summer Palace but also introduces the "Small Hand-carry" concept. This innovative idea enables visitors to hold history in their hands, offering a tangible connection to the beauty and heritage of the palace through a range of thoughtfully designed souvenirs.

The realization of the Summer Palace brand design spans various cultural and creative products, including promotional materials and collectibles. Utilizing high-quality materials such as coated art paper and craft paper, the team employed advanced printing techniques like screen printing and gold stamping to achieve a luxurious finish. The craft paper souvenir box, a particular favorite among young Chinese enthusiasts, includes posters, key rings, adhesive tape, envelopes, and a notebook, all designed to foster a deeper appreciation for Chinese culture.

Technical specifications of the products reflect a meticulous attention to detail, with dimensions carefully chosen to enhance the user experience. The souvenir box, for example, is crafted to be both portable and substantial, while the various paper goods range in size to suit different purposes, from display to correspondence. The key fob, made of acrylic, is a small yet significant token of the palace's grandeur.

Keywords such as "brand design," "anniversary," and "Chinese traditional architecture" encapsulate the essence of the project, emphasizing its focus on cultural significance and creative innovation. The design team, led by YeZhang and including talents like YangMao, XingxingLi, and YiHe, has worked collaboratively to ensure that each product resonates with the grandeur of the Summer Palace.

The design interaction extends beyond the physical products to include an online presence and on-site availability, ensuring that the Summer Palace Tour reaches a wide audience. The project, which began in Beijing in July 2023 and concluded in January 2024, will be showcased from June to September 2024, inviting visitors to engage with the palace's rich cultural tapestry in new and meaningful ways.

Research underpinning the project targeted young visitors, aiming to captivate them with the allure of "China-Chic" ancient architecture. The resulting brand vision successfully marries traditional elements with a contemporary 2.5D aesthetic, offering a fresh perspective on the Summer Palace's cultural narrative. The design team's challenge was to harmonize commercial appeal with historical significance, a feat achieved through artistic depictions that resonate with consumers while celebrating the beauty of Chinese ancient architecture and gardens.

YeZhang's Summer Palace Tour has garnered the prestigious Golden A' Design Award, a testament to its exceptional creativity and impact on art, design, and culture. This accolade underscores the project's success in setting new trends and exemplifying design excellence, further solidifying the Summer Palace's status as a beacon of cultural heritage in the modern world.