Why "Baixiang" (Hundred Phases)?
In today's IP-saturated market, we chose a seemingly ancient concept — "phase" (相).
Phase is a unique cognitive unit in traditional Chinese culture. It differs from "character" (which emphasizes narrative function) and "image" (which emphasizes visual appearance). Phase is a complete synthesis of a person, from appearance to personality, from identity to destiny.
Traditional physiognomy texts like "Maiyi Xiangfa" and "Shenxiang Quanbian" constructed a complete cognitive system of "judging people by appearance." We are not promoting feudal superstition, but extracting a structured character design methodology from it.
10 Face Types: The Starting Point of Structuring
We combined traditional Chinese face shape classification with modern aesthetics and animation design needs, refining the 10-face-type system:
1. **F1 Round** — Full and rounded, strong affinity, suitable for comedy and healing characters
2. **F2 Oval** — Smooth and balanced, mild and pleasant, suitable for classical beauties and everyday characters
3. **F3 Goose egg** — Harmonious proportions, dignified and grand, suitable for emperors and nobles
4. **F4 Square-round** — Squared yet softened, steady and reliable, suitable for warriors and craftsmen
5. **F5 Trapezoid** — Narrow forehead, broad jaw, honest and powerful, suitable for strongmen and laborers
6. **F6 Diamond** — Prominent cheekbones, shrewd and capable, suitable for merchants and shopkeepers
7. **F7 Heart** — Wide forehead, pointed chin, sweet and romantic, suitable for flower goddesses and young heroines
8. **F8 Inverted triangle** — Broad forehead, narrow chin, intelligent and quick, suitable for strategists and sages
9. **F9 Oblong** — Slender and upright, refined and elegant, suitable for scholars and recluses
10. **F10 Square** — Squared and full, righteous aura, suitable for emperors and famous generals
Each face type corresponds to a set of personality presets, identity tendencies, and visual styles, giving the design of 480 characters a unified underlying logic while maintaining each character's uniqueness.
Contemporary Expression of Eastern Aesthetics
Zhonghua Baixiang is not a simple reproduction of traditional images, but a reinterpretation of Eastern aesthetics using contemporary design language.
In terms of color, we extracted 48 core colors from traditional Chinese color charts. Each character is assigned an exclusive color based on their identity, personality, and dynasty background. For example, Fox Yao's cinnabar red, Qi Feng's bronze green, Jiao Hong's rouge pink.
In terms of styling, we blend the留白 (blank space) aesthetic of traditional ink painting, the color tension of Dunhuang murals, and the geometric treatment of modern designer toys, forming a unique visual language of "New Chinese-style designer toys."
Why 480?
480 is not an arbitrary number.
It is the product of 12 (Twelve Earthly Branches) × 40 (characters per volume), implicitly matching traditional Chinese concepts of time and space. At the same time, 480 is a "completable" number — large enough to build a complete universe view, but not so large that it cannot be meticulously crafted.
We have currently completed illustrations for 380 characters, with the remaining 100 in production. Each character takes an average of 2-3 weeks from concept design to final illustration.
Conclusion
Zhonghua Baixiang is not a simple designer toy IP. It is an attempt to reorganize traditional Chinese culture using contemporary design language.
We believe that truly vital IPs are not imitations of Western trends, but things that grow from one's own cultural soil.