LEGO celebrates Chinese culture brick by brick

Danish toymaker LEGO Group has kicked off a festive event in Shanghai's iconic Yu Garden, showcasing its latest Spring Festival-themed sets and blending traditional Chinese culture with creative play to strengthen local engagement.

The launch marks the seventh consecutive year LEGO has developed Spring Festival products and coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Yu Garden folk art lantern festival.

Running until Feb 12, the event offers an immersive experience for visitors through various interactive zones inspired by the LEGO brand's spring-themed sets. Key highlights include the "Spring Festival Good Fortune" Area which combines traditional Chinese intangible cultural heritage with LEGO creations under dazzling lantern displays.

At the "Lucky Cat" creative ingot area, visitors assemble gold ingots and interact with a giant lucky cat model designed to bring good fortune.

A centerpiece of the event is the giant Lucky Cat model, standing 1.5 meters tall and built by LEGO certified professional Jiang Shenghui and his team.

Crafted using about 181,000 LEGO bricks and taking over 1,180 hours, the model features precision-engineered moving arms and a unique infrared-triggered system that activates animations and sound effects when visitors insert gold ingots.

"Chinese traditional culture is an important source of inspiration for our product design," said Paul Huang, senior vice-president of LEGO Group and general manager of LEGO China. "We hope to create new traditions for families by building LEGO sets together, adding to the festive joy of the season."

Stella Shen, vice-president of marketing at LEGO China, said, "LEGO bricks remain the language through which we connect with our consumers."

In addition to the Yu Garden event, LEGO Group has rolled out exclusive Spring Festival-themed displays across its authorized stores in China.

Lots of new LEGO sets are being launched for the holiday season, including two key products — the "Spring Festival Good Fortune" set and the "Spring Festival Trotting Lantern" set — designed to evoke the spirit of celebration and family togetherness in collaboration with local folk artists.

Huang emphasized the company's focus on family bonding and cultural learning through play.

"Building LEGO sets together creates precious family moments while introducing traditional cultural elements," he said, adding that these culturally inspired sets have been launched globally, with strong demand in the United States and Asia-Pacific markets from consumers interested in Chinese culture.

LEGO Group has rapidly expanded its footprint in China, operating more than 400 stores in nearly 120 cities. As of end-2024, it had opened five beacon stores focused on enhancing in-store experiences. Looking ahead to 2025, Huang said LEGO Group's key priorities include optimizing its retail layout, strengthening brand influence and upgrading store experiences.

Major initiatives planned for the year include Formula 1-themed activities, International Day of Play celebrations, a collaboration with sportswear brand Nike, and digital enhancements to improve consumer engagement.

"We remain committed to creating innovative and meaningful experiences for our Chinese consumers," Huang added.

wangzhuoqiong@chinadaily.com.cn