Three distinctive activities blending China’s fine traditional culture and the Olympic spirit are taking place in the Beijing Olympic Museum. These activities, including the “Ice and Snow, IT’s Your Vibe – From Beijing to Milan” Olympic Winter Games Carnival, the “Enjoy New Year Paintings, Celebrate Spring Festival” Exhibition of Chinese New Year Paintings, and the International Cultural Fair, are vivid examples of making good use of the Dual Olympic legacy and launching new public cultural programs.

(Entrance of the Beijing Olympic Museum.)

(Media briefing on the “From Beijing to Milan” series of events.)

Integration of culture, commerce, tourism, sports, and exhibitions

As a key part of this series of activities, the “Ice and Snow, IT’s Your Vibe—From Beijing to Milan” Olympic Winter Games Carnival first opened on January 24. It is hosted by the Beijing Olympic City Development Association (BODA) and organized by the Beijing Olympic Museum. The Carnival vividly creates a vibrant atmosphere of the Olympic Winter Games, featuring various activities such as the “Rekindling the Olympic Flame—From Beijing to Milan” Exhibition, immersive spectating, sports film screenings, and the Milano Cortina 2026 themed study tour, “Interstellar Games” VR experiences, and Milano Cortina 2026 merchandise.

(“Ice and Snow, IT’s Your Vibe—From Beijing to Milan” Olympic Winter Games Carnival.)

The “Olympic Winter Games Legacy · The Torch Reignites —From Beijing to Milan” Exhibition will be held at China House during Milano Cortina 2026 as part of the Olympic Legacy Seminar series. Following the thread of the three editions of the Winter Olympic Games held in Italy and the Beijing 2022 Games, this exhibition is built on the official poster collection of the Olympic Museum in Lausanne. It will showcase core historical artifacts from the four editions, including official posters, torches, medals, and mascots. The exhibition will present the evolution of the Olympic Movement, celebrate the opening of Milano Cortina 2026, and commemorate the fourth anniversary of the Beijing 2022 Games. It will also highlight the enduring continuity of the Olympic spirit and the deepening friendship between China and Italy, united through their shared commitment to the Olympic Movement. The Olympic Legacy Coffee will be co-hosted by the IOC and BODA, with the support of the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC). A number of international organizations will engage in exchanges and cooperation, including the IOC, the Milano Cortina 2026 organizing committee, the World Union of Olympic Cities, and FICTS. The event aims to showcase BODA’s practices and achievements in carrying forward and utilizing Olympic legacy, strengthen friendly exchanges between the two Olympic cities of Beijing and Milan, and facilitate Beijing’s role as a center for international exchanges.

(The “Olympic Winter Games Legacy·The Torch Reignites —From Beijing to Milan” Exhibition.)

On January 31, the Beijing Olympic Museum launched the International Cultural Fair in the public space of the museum and the National Stadium (Bird’s Nest), welcoming both the Chinese New Year and Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games. There are several distinctive zones, including an international cultural exhibition area, an intangible cultural heritage display and experience zone, a food court, and a cultural and museum merchandise retail zone. Olympic cities and Belt and Road Initiative partner countries will come together to build an international comprehensive platform for economic, trade, commercial, and cultural exchanges that combines international cultural interaction, city image promotion, and industrial cooperation. The goal is to build an innovative brand integrating culture, commerce, tourism, sports, and exhibitions, thus firing up market vitality for making Beijing a city of museums.

(International Cultural Fair.)

The “New Life · New Trends · New Year Paintings” Art Exhibition opened in early February. The main venue in Beijing is centered around the “Enjoy New Year Paintings, Celebrate Spring Festival” Exhibition of Chinese New Year Paintings. Using the functional space of the first-floor hall at the Beijing Olympic Museum, the venue features a large light installation of New Year paintings, interactive photo spots, a creative cultural products zone dedicated to New Year paintings, and hands-on experience areas. Additionally, the corridors and walls throughout the venue display exquisite New Year paintings created by artists from across the country. New Year painting-themed cultural and creative products plus New Year specialties will be available during the event. A group of folk artists will be invited to demonstrate and showcase traditional folk arts with distinctive features of Beijing’s culture. Visitors are welcome to engage in hands-on experiences. A China-Italy intangible cultural heritage handicraft workshop will also be set up to facilitate cultural exchanges and integration between the two countries.

(Exhibition of Chinese New Year Paintings.)

Dual Olympic legacy shared by the people

This year marks the fourth anniversary of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. This series of events is a vivid example of making good use of Dual Olympic legacy and launching new public cultural programs. Over the past four years, BODA has promoted sustainable use of Games-time Olympic resources, with a view to carrying forward Dual Olympic legacy and empowering city development. Various sports and cultural activities and international exchange events are held to consolidate the achievements of “engaging 300 million people in winter sports” and ensure that the Dual Olympic city remains dynamic and thriving.

As a permanent Olympic-themed museum, the Beijing Olympic Museum reopened to the public in February 2024, celebrating the second anniversary of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. Over the past two years, the museum has served as a vital hub for promoting the Olympic spirit and carrying forward the Olympic legacy. By integrating diverse social resources and pioneering innovative approaches, it has expanded public education efforts, promoted the integration of exhibitions and learning, and hosted a wide range of educational activities, study tours, and cultural performances. BODA has organized the Beijing Olympic City Sports Culture Festival and the Beijing International Sports Film Week, in addition to the “8·8” Beijing Sports Shopping Carnival, the “Olympic Sports and Culture Caravan,” and Olympic cultural exhibitions open to the public. As such, it aims to foster a premium and engaging sports culture brand of public fitness and meet the people’s needs for high-quality sports and cultural lives.

As part of the Beijing Olympic Museum’s series of events welcoming Milano Cortina 2026 and the Chinese New Year, the International Cultural Fair blends the traditional Chinese New Year atmosphere with international cultures. It serves as a bridge for exchanges between Chinese and foreign cultures, reflecting the museum’s role as a “cultural meet-the-world lounge.” In recent years, BODA has played a unique role in facilitating Beijing’s role as a center for international exchanges. It has continuously strengthened and deepened exchanges and cooperation with international sports organizations including the IOC, conducted exchanges on Olympic legacy utilization across multiple regions, and forged partnerships with National Olympic Committees (NOCs), the World Union of Olympic Cities, and the Olympic Museums Network. Through these efforts, it continues to tell Olympic legacy stories of Beijing as the Dual Olympic city and facilitates Beijing’s role as a center for international exchanges.

In recent years, BODA has actively advanced the transformation and shared use of Beijing’s Dual Olympic legacy. This includes compiling and publishing archival materials from Beijing 2008 and the Beijing 2022 Games, collecting Olympic themed publications, and building a knowledge base for high-end think tanks supporting major sporting events at home and abroad. It has also developed plans for carrying forward Dual Olympic legacy and organized legacy research to revitalize and utilize Dual Olympic legacy.

After the Beijing 2022 Games, BODA made collaborative efforts to develop the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Sports, Culture, and Tourism Belt and build the “Joyful Road of the Winter Olympics” with a total length of 236.3km. This self-service track integrates various functions such as Olympic culture display, sporting events, sightseeing, and leisure tourism. Public cycling and bike events are also held. Additionally, BODA holds a permanent Olympic-themed exhibition in Chongli District of Zhangjiakou City and co-organizes the China Alpine Skiing Points Race, contributing to Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated development.

This series of events held at the Beijing Olympic Museum is a result of reignited passion for the Olympic Winter Games, representing another important practice of BODA to constantly utilize Olympic legacy and promote city development. It also embodies the profound and lasting value of Olympic legacy in enhancing public well-being and serving the city.