Quanzhou Ancient City's Snake Zodiac IP, the Rainbow Zayton Snake, features a series of seven especially styled and cute snake characters – Haihai, Sisi, Quanquan, Zhouzhou, Huanhuan, Yingying and Lili – collectively spelling out "Quanzhou welcomes you" in Chinese.

The characters will be gradually revealed before Jan 18 at heritage sites and popular photo spots throughout the ancient city, located in Quanzhou city in East China's Fujian province, displayed at different artistic installations.

To date, four characters have already been unveiled.

"The creation of the snake zodiac IP was quite challenging. We aimed to design snakes that are both attractive and lovable, leaning towards cuteness while preserving the essence of snakes," said Lin Fei, deputy director of the Culture and Tourism Bureau of Quanzhou's Licheng district.

This year's Rainbow Zayton Snake delves into the auspicious symbolism of snakes in Quanzhou's culture, blending traditional zodiac elements with the city's rich World Heritage and intangible cultural heritage.

The creative endeavor aims to showcase Quanzhou's allure and drive cultural inheritance and development forwards.

The four unveiled Rainbow Zayton Snakes are:

Haihai is lively and good at dancing. [Photo/The Culture, Broadcasting and Tourism Bureau of Quanzhou]

The eldest, Haihai, covered in Zayton red: Inspired by chest-beating dancers and Quanzhou's unique red brick architectural patterns, symbolizing warmth, vitality and reflecting the hospitality and optimism of the local Minnan people.

Sisi contains many good wishes in its design. [Photo/The Culture, Broadcasting and Tourism Bureau of Quanzhou]

The second, Sisi, daubed in ancient house orange: Symbolizing wealth and glory, surrounded by traditional jewelry and gold mountains, allowing viewers to feel Quanzhou's unique culture.

Zhouzhou's scales are in the shape of tea leaves. [Photo/The Culture, Broadcasting and Tourism Bureau of Quanzhou]

The fourth, Zhouzhou, in refreshing green: Combined with tea culture, showcasing the love of locals for tea and reflecting natural vitality and harmony.

Lili is as heroic as a young general. [Photo/The Culture, Broadcasting and Tourism Bureau of Quanzhou]

The seventh, Lili, covered in vibrant colors: Symbolizing vitality and energy, representing innovation and vigor in the series of characters.