Growing up in China, I was surrounded by symbols that were simply part of everyday life — red for good fortune, the hulu for blessings and protection, and the zodiac animal associated with each person’s birth year.

It wasn’t until I lived abroad that I began to see these familiar symbols differently. Outside China, they were often admired for their beauty, while the stories and meanings behind them were less widely known.

That simple idea became ORIMING — a way to share these symbols not only for how they look, but for what they mean.