Meet Shuey Rhon Rhon, the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympic Mascot

Shuey Rhon Rhon is a Chinese lantern child who welcomed athletes from around the globe during the Games. Exuding positivity, the glow emanating from its heart symbolises the warmth, friendship and courage of Para athletes that light up the dreams of millions of people every day.

The Chinese lantern is a millennia-old cultural symbol associated with harvest, celebration, prosperity and brightness. Red is the most auspicious and festive colour of the country and is all the more fitting given the Games coincided with Chinese New Year celebrations in February and March 2022.

Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympic Mascot Shuey Rhon Rhon

Shuey has the same pronunciation as the Chinese character for snow. The first Rhon in the mascot’s Chinese name means ‘to include, to tolerate’, while the second Rhon means ‘to melt, to fuse’ and ‘warm’. The name expresses the wish to have more inclusion for people with impairments, as well as more dialogue and understanding between cultures of the world.

Get to Know More About Design Elements and Symbolism

A global contest was launched to find the mascots for the Games and 5,816 submissions were received from 35 different countries in total. The final selection was made by a team of Chinese and international experts. The Olympic mascot Bing Dwen Dwen and the Paralympic mascot Shuey Rhon Rhon were chosen as the winning designs.

Created by Jiang Yufan, an undergraduate student of Jilin University of Arts who was specialising in product design at the time, the overall design of Shuey Rhon Rhon draws elements from traditional Chinese papercut and Ruyi ornaments, features doves, Beijing’s iconic Temple of Heaven and snow, to symbolise peace, friendship and happiness. Jiang Yufan was joined by a team of 15 people to further improve her initial design. The design team members were inspired by the lanterns commonly used during New Year’s celebrations in northeastern China, often seen covered in snow. Just like those lanterns, Shuey Rhon Rhon has a patch of snow that covers its face in the shape of a cloud, representing the Paralympic Winter Games in the perfect way.