CCTV9英语新闻：龙凤凰大使亮相（在线收听）

The Palace Museum unveiled its two brand new mascots in Xiamen, in southeast China’s Fujian province.

Donning Qing Dynasty costumes, the designs for Zhuangzhuang and Meimei originate from the traditional Chinese symbols of the dragon and the phoenix. The names of the mascots also bear special meaning. "Zhuang," which means strong in Mandarin, represents the gorgeous Forbidden City. "Mei", the word for beautiful, stands for the more than 1.8 million treasures collected within its walls.

Sadly, the mascots did not receive unanimous applause, with some netizens saying Meimei looked more like a penguin than a phoenix.

The Palace Museum unveiled its two brand new mascots in Xiamen.

The Palace Museum unveiled its two brand new mascots in Xiamen.