AsiaNet 201988
CHENGDU, China, Nov. 4, 2026 /Xinhua-AsiaNet/--
On November 3, the main forum and the Forum on the Development of Brand Ecosystems of the Global Panda Partners 2026 Conference were held in Chengdu. The conference brought together representatives of international organizations, diplomatic envoys to China, representatives of cities from multiple countries, zoo managers from around the world, and leading giant panda conservation experts to explore international collaboration on giant panda conservation and global panda brand storytelling. As the place where the world's first giant panda was scientifically discovered, Ya'an Municipal People's Government actively participated in the conference, sharing with global participants the city's experience in giant panda conservation and the integrated development of culture and tourism.
Ya'an ranks among the top in China's Giant Panda National Park in terms of multiple core conservation indicators, and the city's development has consistently been grounded in solid ecological conservation. It is understood that Ya'an is home to 340 wild giant pandas. To secure a solid home for this flagship species, the city has restored a cumulative 180,000 mu (about 12,000 hectares) of giant panda habitat, has been advancing the gradual linking of several ecological corridors across mountain ranges, and has released 13 giant pandas into the wild from specialized reintroduction bases. The latest monitoring data from 2025 show that local authorities have recorded 260 signs of giant panda activity and 18 sightings in the wild, and that cameras in one ecological corridor have captured footage of a giant panda with its cub for seven consecutive years - tangible evidence of the results of habitat restoration. In Ya'an, encountering a giant panda in the mountains and forests is an ecological surprise unique to this city.
While staying within its ecological red lines, Ya'an also extends the benefits of ecological conservation to local communities. Leveraging its giant panda-related ecological resources, Ya'an has built five panda-themed communities and one nature education school, cultivated a "Panda+" specialty industry system, and developed more than 600 panda-themed homestays and integrated rural tourism projects offering vacation, wellness, and leisure services across the area. More and more local people have shifted from being participants in ecological conservation to direct beneficiaries of cultural and tourism development.
With a more solid ecological foundation and continued progress in community development, Ya'an is linking its scattered ecological resources into a more integrated culture and tourism sector, translating its resource strengths into competitive products. With the core goal of building a world-class destination for giant panda cultural tourism, Ya'an has not only planned three major themed eco-tourism routes - panda origins, experience, and reintroduction - but has also woven the panda IP into its urban public spaces, creating panda-themed zebra crossings, cartoon panda benches, landscape bridges featuring panda sculptures, and panda-themed greenways, so that visitors are greeted by a strong panda cultural atmosphere the moment they enter the city.
Ya'an also keeps innovating new cultural tourism scenarios and experiences. The city is rolling out a series of flagship panda IP tourism projects, producing the major musical Return of the Panda, expanding low-altitude tourism routes under the "Panda Air Corridor" program, and launching science and study programs on the giant panda's ecological home - all part of a push to shift visitors from sightseeing to immersive experiences.
As the place where the world's first giant panda was scientifically discovered, Ya'an has in recent years committed itself to advancing both ecological conservation and culture-tourism integration. From protecting a single species to awakening its own ecological awareness and cultural expression, Ya'an is turning its historical status as "the place of scientific discovery" into a contemporary model of "harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature".
Source: Ya'an Municipal People's Government
This press release is provided by the issuer. As the distributor is unable to respond, please reach out to the issuer directly for all the inquiries
