If you’re traveling to Hong Kong this weekend, you’re in for a special treat as thousands of giant panda statues will welcome you and the locals starting this Saturday.
This major exhibition, titled ‘Panda Go! Fest HK’, was launched earlier this week during an event at Hong Kong International Airport, featuring 2,500 panda sculptures.
The exhibit reflects the city’s growing enthusiasm for the beloved bears after two cubs were recently born at a local theme park.
According to CNNthe panda sculptures will first be displayed on the Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui, a bustling shopping district, before moving to three other locations throughout the month.
A key site is Ocean Park, home to the twins, their parents, and two additional pandas gifted by Beijing this year.
Specifically, six sculptures were designed using recycled materials and are inspired by these iconic bears.
The twins, born to Ying Ying – recognized as the world’s oldest panda mother – may begin interacting with visitors as early as February.
Additionally, the displays are also part of Hong Kong’s efforts to capitalize on the use of pandas to boost its economy and restore its status as a top tourist destination in Asia.
Local tourism representatives are optimistic about the prospects of housing the six pandas, hoping to increase tourist numbers even though caring for pandas in captivity is expensive.
Officials have also encouraged businesses to capitalize on the bears’ popularity, which some lawmakers have dubbed the “panda economy.”
Most of these exclusive sculptures will be auctioned off online for charity and the proceeds will be donated to Ocean Park to support giant panda conservation efforts.
Ying Ying and Li Li, the father of the twins, are the second pair of pandas gifted to Hong Kong by Beijing since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
The first couple was NN and Jaya Jaya who arrived in 1999. Jia Jia, who died in 2016 at the age of 38, is the world’s oldest panda in captivity.