Olympic torch

A product will be focused by billions of people in next year. What is it? It’s a torch for carrying the Olympic Flame around the world ahead of the Beijing 2008 Games. At the opening ceremony of Olympic Games, all people will gaze at the torch when it will be lighted to the fire tower at the stadium.

Last month, the best one of 388 designs was announced by the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2008 Olympics. It is created by designers at Lenovo, a Chinese PC company.

The torch calls “Xiang yun” (scroll and cloud). It was inspired by many Chinese elements. Paper was invented by Chinese, and at past people scrolled paper to pass message to people. Red, as you know, is a favorite colour for Chinese. In Chinese mythology, deities ride flying on "xiangyun", or lucky clouds. Chinese people expect the auspicious clouds to bring blessings and harmony.

In addition, it also is a hi-tech and sustainable product. The torch can withstand winds of up to 65 km/hour and stay alight in rain, hail or snow. The light yellow flame can burn for over 15 minutes and will be fueled by propane, a relatively clean energy source. Main material is aluminum, and rubber is sprayed on the lower part’s surface for hand held.

I think this torch will inspire us in this project.