China's Palace Museum showed to the public for the first time its two mascots during the 2014 Museums and Relevant Products and Technology Exposition on Sunday in Xiamen.
The duo is composed of an image of a dragon garbed in an emperor's suit and an image of a phoenix dressed as an empress.
The designs for the mascots were inspired by the Chinese expression "longfeng chengxiang," or "prosperity brought about by the dragon and the phoenix."
The figures also symbolized the Chinese emperor and empress during the Qing Dyansty from 1644 to 1911.
The dragon mascot's name is Zhuangzhuang, which means strong, depicting the dragon's power and epitomizing the feelings people have when they behold the marvelous architecture of the Forbidden City where the Palace Museum is located.
The empress, meanwhile, is called Meimei, which means beautiful, symbolizing the aesthetic value of the artworks found in the Palace Museum.
Feng Hui, director of the museum's Cultural Service Center, said that he hopes the two icons will develop a cultural appeal with a solid "celebrity effect" that can typify the Chinese culture.
The Palace Museum was built within the Forbidden City in 1925 and holds a vast collection of important artworks and artifacts, many of which were from the Ming and Qing dynasties.