Xu Ming shows off the culturally creative products originated from his creation, Grandpa Nankong [Photo/qz828.com]

Grandpa Nankong -- a cartoon character who is a symbol of Quzhou in East China's Zhejiang province -- made his debut at the recent 11th China International Animation Copyright Fair held in Dongguan, Guangdong province.

Created by renowned artist Xu Ming, Grandpa Nankong represents the southern branch of Confucianism in Quzhou and has won widespread recognition across China.

Xu said that in creating the character, he has integrated traditional Chinese Confucian culture with modern design.

Grandpa Nankong's bun is designed in the shape of a painting and calligraphy scroll, symbolizing the depth and profundity of Confucianism.

Thick eyebrows cover his eyes, which commonly represents profound knowledge in cartoons. His heart-shaped beard is intended to signify the Confucian notion that every person can go to school and receive an education.

In addition, Xu also designed a series of emojis for Grandpa Nankong which are available on social media application WeChat.

The designer said that August is a great time for Grandpa Nankong, when the cartoon image won three important awards.

In April this year, Grandpa Nankong made his debut at the largest comprehensive exhibition in Japan, Content Tokyo 2019.

According to Xu, his studio has cooperated with a Japanese animation production company to create a cartoon for Grandpa Nankong, which is expected to be released in Japan in November this year.