Spring Wonders | LEGO Designer: Fantastic Cultural Journey in LEGO Bricks

The Year of the Snake is approaching!春节chūn jié, the Spring Festival, also known as the Chinese New Year, is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture. It has been officially added to UNESCO’s representative list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.In this special Spring Festival episode, host Zhang Yiyi is joined by Wen Xiaodong 温笑冬, senior concept designer at the LEGO Group, also the first designer from Chinese mainland to join the headquarters of the global toy giant.Wen shares his experiences in integrating Chinese culture into LEGO sets, also the challenges and rewards of representing a diverse culture through toys.The designer walks us through highlights of the LEGO Group’s efforts to incorporate Spring Festival traditions into their products, and also the features of the 2025 series.He also reflects on his journey to becoming a LEGO designer, the process of designing culturally significant LEGO sets, and his pride in contributing to the spread of Chinese culture internationally. Highlights:03:26 Celebrating Spring Festival overseas: sharing unique cultural experiences04:57 The LEGO Group's journey in embracing Chinese New Year Culture08:57 Extensive brainstorming and consumer feedback sessions across China to create unique festival sets11:38 Rewards and challenges: design process details for Spring Festival-themed sets19:15 Spring Festival: a gateway to Chinese culture20:38 From concept artist to LEGO designer: an unexpected journey26:30 Inspiration behind the Monkey Kids Series32:24 LEGO aspirations for cultural relevance in ChinaThis podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcast and YouTube. You are also more than welcome to check our newsletter where you can find more in-depth sharings around Chinese economy: https://pekingensight.substack.com/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit pekingensight.substack.com