Design Concepts
A Silk Road Symphony | The Jade Charm of Chang'an | A Rope Leaping Through Time
The design of this medal is based on the ancient capital of Xi’an, integrating the grandeur of the Qin and Han dynasties, the openness and inclusiveness of the Tang dynasty, and the vibrant spirit of jump rope. The aim is to create an artistic medal that combines historical depth with contemporary innovation.
The design revolves around the theme of “World Rope Skipping Elites Gather in Xi’an for a Silk Road Rendezvous,” cleverly integrating Qin and Han bronze tile patterns, Lantian jade carving intangible cultural heritage, Tang Dynasty cultural symbols, and the spirit of international competitions, reflecting a harmonious dialogue between tradition and modernity, and between the East and the world.
The Soul of Materials
Jade as its backbone, bronze as its rhythm
The medal’s main body employs a composite technique combining Lantian jade and bronze casting. Lantian jade is one of China’s four famous jades, with a carving history dating back to the Stone Age tens of thousands of years ago. During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, Lantian jade was processed into jade ritual objects. After Qin unified the six kingdoms, it obtained Lantian jade to carve the Imperial Seal, inscribed with “By the Mandate of Heaven, May it live long and prosper,” establishing Lantian jade’s supreme status in Chinese jade culture. The famous lines by Tang Dynasty poet Li Shangyin, “The moon shines brightly over the sea, pearls seem to weep; the sun warms Lantian, jade seems to emit smoke,” further imbue Lantian jade with a poetic charm. Choosing Lantian jade as the core material of the medal is not only a tribute to the culture of Xi’an, an ancient capital with a thousand-year history, but also a living inheritance of Lantian jade carving, an intangible cultural heritage.
The weighty vigor of bronze casting and the moist delicacy of Lantian jade create a visual tension of hardness and softness in perfect balance. The solemn steadiness of bronze echoes the iron-clad cavalry and magnificent grandeur of the Qin and Han dynasties, while the warmth of jade embodies the reserved, understated aesthetic ideal of Eastern culture. Their union is precisely like the city of Xi’an—possessing both the profound heritage of an ancient imperial capital and the gentle, jade-like warmth of humanistic spirit.
Design elements
Dayan Pagoda | Xi'an City Wall | Qin and Han Dynasty Tile Ends
As a vital element of Xi’an’s city emblem, the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda symbolizes the openness, inclusiveness, and cultural confidence of Xi’an as the starting point of the Silk Road. The pagoda’s tiered architecture embodies the athletes’ relentless spirit of climbing and striving for greater heights, while also echoing the progressive, breakthrough-driven competitive rhythm of rope skipping.
As the largest and best-preserved ancient city wall in China, the Xi’an City Wall stands as the most iconic landmark of this millennia-old capital. It chronicles the historical lineage and heritage of the ancient capital Chang’an through the ages, while showcasing the openness and inclusiveness of a flourishing civilization across its breadth. On the front of the medal, the Xi’an City Wall stretches out with its magnificent silhouette, blending seamlessly with the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda to symbolize the profound cultural foundation of hosting this event in Xi’an.
The jade inlay encircling the medal and the overall border design take Qin and Han dynasty eaves tiles as their core motif. Xi’an was the heart of the imperial capitals during the Qin and Han dynasties, and eaves tiles were the quintessential architectural elements of royal palaces and mausoleum complexes of that era. The medal incorporates classic Qin and Han tile patterns, including cloud motifs and ridge designs, symbolizing auspiciousness, smooth progress, and good fortune in all endeavors—wishing every athlete outstanding achievements on this historic land.
Composition and symbolism
The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda and Xi'an City Wall merge with the UJR, standing majestically at the center of the composition, while Qin and Han dynasty eaves tile motifs unfold like a rain of blossoms along the Silk Road. The entire scene captures both the magnificent grandeur of the High Tang era and the dynamic, spirited vitality of athletic energy. The Pagoda and City Wall symbolize Xi'an's millennia-old cultural heritage and open-minded spirit as the host city, while the eaves tile patterns signify the Silk Road's role in connecting East and West and fostering cultural exchange across the globe. Elite rope skippers from around the world converge at the ancient starting point of the Silk Road, pushing their limits and pursuing their dreams under the witness of millennia-old civilization—continuing to write a new Silk Road legend for the modern era.
UJR main medal front view
Spirit of Chang’an · Grace of Rope -Dance
The jade carving on the front of the medal features the UJR main logo as its central visual element. Taking “UJR” as its core identity, the logo echoes the event name while integrating the city’s cultural heritage—the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, the ancient city wall, and the Bell Tower—creating a striking fusion of traditional architecture and modern design. This perfectly interprets the event’s theme of “ancient charm, new voice,” binding the competition to the city’s culture and conveying Xi’an’s distinctive character and historical warmth. Following the carving, color is applied in a gilded gold tone that recreates the classic palette of Xi’an’s city walls and the golden artifacts of the High Tang Dynasty. This not only resonates with the profound historical depth of Xi’an as an ancient capital of thirteen dynasties, but also symbolizes the passion and vitality of the event.
UJR main medal black view
Legacy of Qin-Han · Glor y Etched in Time
The bronze plate is clearly engraved with gold, silver, and bronze tier markings, along with the specific competition event names. This design ensures both the accuracy and legibility of the medal’s information, while intuitively distinguishing award levels through different metal materials (or plating), making every medal an enduring testament to each athlete’s personal glory.
At the bottom of the medal’s reverse, the characters “Xi’an” are rendered in the running script style of brush calligraphy. Running script sits between regular script and cursive script—possessing both the dignified steadiness of the former and the fluid vitality of the latter. It is much like the city of Xi’an itself: bearing both the solemn depth of a millennia-old capital and the vibrant energy of a modern metropolis. The calligraphic strokes, with their effortless alternation of restraint and release and their vivid rhythmic vitality, also form an elegant parallel to the sense of rhythm and coordination essential to rope skipping.
Designer Introduction
Li Yushan is currently studying at Art Center College (Spatial Experience Design), with a focus on visual design, cultural narrative, and spatial experience design. She is dedicated to exploring the fusion of traditional culture and modern design language. Inspired by Xi'an's historical and cultural heritage, this medal design reinterprets elements such as Tang dynasty scroll patterns, the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, and the Silk Road through a contemporary lens. Through a concise yet culturally rich visual language, she aims to convey the spirit of the competition and the distinctive character of the city.
Rookie Group Medal Design
One Rope Unites Nations·Chang’an Leaps Through Ages
The Rookie Group medal design for this competition aims to create an artistic commemorative piece that carries the cultural heritage of the millennia-old ancient capital, highlights the dynamic vitality of rope skipping, and reflects Xi’an’s unique urban character. Centered on the core concept of “Sports as a Bridge, Culture as a Bond,” the design artfully integrates Silk Road cultural symbols, classic High Tang decorative patterns (Tang scroll patterns), and Xi’an’s ancient architectural heritage, embodying a harmonious dialogue between tradition and modernity, East and world.
The Rookie Group medal is crafted using bronze casting techniques recognized as intangible cultural heritage. Shaanxi is revered as the “Cradle of Bronze Ware,” and Xi’an, as the ancient capital of thirteen dynasties including the Zhou, Qin, Han, and Tang, stands at the very heartland of bronze culture. The selection of bronze as the medal’s core material serves as both a lofty tribute to the millennia-spanning civilizations of Zhou, Qin, Han, and Tang, and as a living, contemporary expression of Shaanxi’s bronze ware craftsmanship—an intangible cultural heritage passed down through generations.
The UJR Rookie Group Medal is an artistic distillation of the Silk Road’s millennia-old cultural heritage, a temporal dialogue between the majestic grandeur of the High Tang and the resolute spirit of the Qin and Han dynasties, a resonant echo across time between the ancient Chinese name for rope skipping, “Tousuo,” and contemporary international competition, and an innovative practice by a new generation of designers interpreting the essence of traditional culture through modern design language.
It is far more than a competition commemorative medal—it is a cultural artwork that integrates international vision, Chinese grandeur, and Xi’an’s distinctive character. It carries praise for the athletes’ fighting spirit, heartfelt wishes for the successful hosting of the competition, and boundless expectations for rope skipping to connect the world and co-create the future.
When rookie rope skippers from across the globe gather in the ancient capital of Xi’an, this medal, cast from bronze recognized as intangible cultural heritage, will become the most precious memory and testament to the shining moments of their youth.
