The organizers of the Winter Olympics in Beijing turned to an old friend when picking a mascot: the panda.
This time around, organizers selected Bing Dwen Dwen, designed by Cao Xue, from more than 5,800 designs that had been submitted, according to the official site of the Olympics. Wrapped in a protective layer of ice mimicking an astronaut’s suit, Bing has been making its way around the bubble that is the Olympic Village.
The panda, once considered endangered, is native to China and is the country’s national animal. It has been used by the government as a diplomatic tool — like the pandas that have been donated to zoos in the United States — and has been minted on gold coins issued by the government.