The Story Behind our Logos
“Most people don’t see the turtle at first…”
The logo for the Redding Tai Chi Meditation Garden was originally designed with the garden’s proposed location at Turtle Bay Exploration Park in mind. The designer creatively combined two distinctive elements associated with that original vision: the Sundial Bridge and the Yin Yang symbol.
In Chinese culture, the Yin Yang symbol is known as the Tai Chi diagram. It represents the complementary forces found throughout nature and gives the exercise of Tai Chi its name.
But there’s more to our logo than meets the eye. While the traditional Yin Yang symbol consists of two complementary halves separated by an S-shaped line, our logo incorporates a hidden turtle. The white portion forms the turtle’s head, while the darker portion represents its shell. Look closely and you may also discover three legs and a small tail.
The turtle isn’t always immediately apparent, but once you see it, it’s hard to miss!
Although the garden’s planned location has since changed to Enterprise Park in Redding, the original logo remains a meaningful part of our identity. It tells the story of the project’s beginnings and reflects the creativity and thought that went into its design.
Our logo brings together the Sundial Bridge, the Tai Chi diagram, and the turtle in a distinctive design that honors the history of our project while we look forward to the garden’s future.
The Redding Tai Chi logo represents the principle of yin and yang—the complementary forces whose balance is central to the philosophy of Tai Chi. Its contrasting black and white design reflects the traditional Tai Chi symbol, also known as the Taiji diagram.
The logo also features the Chinese characters for Tai Chi Chuan (Pinyin: Taijiquan) and a figure performing Single Whip, one of the movements in traditional Tai Chi practice. Together, these elements connect the visual design with the art, philosophy, and Chinese cultural heritage of Tai Chi.
Both the Redding Tai Chi logo and the Redding Tai Chi Meditation Garden logo were created by artist and industrial designer Hannah Czehatowski.
