The reveal came at 20.22 local time, celebrating the year the Games will take place, with Chinese vice premier Zhang Gaoli, International Olympic Committee (IOC) vice president Yu Zaiqing and President of the Beijing 2022 Organising Committee Cai Qi among those present.

Cai described the idea behind the two logos at the launch ceremony.

"The emblems of Beijing 2022 combine Chinese culture, an international, modern style and winter sports together," he said, as reported by Xinhua.

"They vividly manifest China's national spirit, contemporary image and cultural charm, display the passion, youth and vitality of winter sports, convey the athlete's spirit of going beyond themselves and expresses the glorious anticipation of 1.3 billion Chinese people toward Beijing 2022."

Appearing via video link, IOC President Thomas Bach said: "Today, Beijing is taking another important step on its way to make history - to make history as the first city in the world to host both the summer and winter editions of the Olympic Games.

"The unveiling of the official emblem for the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 is a milestone on this exciting journey for China and the entire Olympic family.

"The emblem is a symbol of ambitions and dreams.

"It will build the excitement and anticipation in China and around the whole world for our shared goal of outstanding Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.

"With the emblem, there will be a common image for people throughout the globe to connect with. 

"It stands for the vision of Beijing 2022, showcasing the best of China to the world, a unique blend of modern and ancient traditions.

"And of course, bringing the joy of winter sports to a new generation in China and beyond."

International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons also gave his approval.

"It is an emblem that encapsulates the Paralympic spirit, but also Chinese culture," he said.

"I am very excited about the Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing 2022.

"At Beijing 2008, we shaped the way that we organise and deliver the Paralympic Summer Games and I am sure that Beijing 2022 will do the same for the Paralympic Winter Games."

The Olympic emblem was designed to integrate the spirit of Chinese calligraphy and eastern cultural heritage with a modern, global style.

The top of the emblem portrays a skater rushing forward, whilst the bottom represents a skier.

The lines in the middle represent mountains, trails of snow and the ribbons often used to celebrate Chinese New Year, which will overlap with Beijing 2022.

The Paralympic logo also combines Chinese calligraphy with Paralympic winter sports.

The design is centred around the Chinese character "fei" , for flight, and portrays the idea of an athlete who is fighting for victory, highlighting the spirit and inspiration for the Paralympic Games.

Today's launch sees the end of a process which began on July 31, 2016 and saw more than 4,000 design proposals, more than twice the number submitted for Beijing 2008.

In October 2016, a panel of 15 Chinese and international judges was established.

Fan Di'an, a member of the panel, noted the interesting similarities in many of the designs submitted.

"When we reviewed the proposals, we saw that the designers shared many similarities in choosing the elements for the emblems; that is, to combine ice and snow sports with Chinese culture," he said.

"This was very impressive."

The chief designer of the two emblems was Lin Cunzhen, deputy dean of China Central Academy of Fine Arts' Design School.

She explained the process behind her design.

"The design of the two emblems was guided by the athlete-centred concept of the Games," she said.

"The Olympic emblem was initially drawn onto the idea of the Chinese character 'dong' [winter] in the bid emblem, with the character rendered in Chinese calligraphy, representing Chinese culture.

"Meanwhile, a pattern combining ice sports and snow sports was used to represent Olympic Games."

Franchised products of Beijing 2022, which will feature the new logos, will be available to buy online tomorrow.