Products and souvenirs featuring giant pandas have been a hit among holiday travelers at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Sichuan province. CHINA DAILY
CHENGDU: Every day, a long queue begins forming at around 7am at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Sichuan province. That’s half an hour before it opens.
“Many of us come to see Hua Hua,” said Yuan Yuan, a 21-year-old university student from Chengdu, Sichuan’s capital.
Hua Hua, a nearly three-year-old female panda at the base, became an online sensation recently because of her intelligence. She acknowledges her keeper’s commands, Yuan said.
Panda-mania has played a big role in boosting the economy in the area.
The three-square-kilometre base, which is home to about 200 pandas, was listed among the nation’s top destinations during the five-day Labour Day holiday and has seen a spike in tourism, according to data released by Chengdu’s municipal tourism bureau on Saturday.
Tickets for Sunday and Monday were sold out, and only a few were available for yesterday and today, according to base official Li Jie, who added that a maximum of 60,000 tickets are made available each day.
In the first quarter of this year, the number of bookings for hotels around the base was 3.2 times higher than the same period last year, according to China Central TV.
“Most of our guests come to the area, especially to see Hua Hua,” said Li Sheng, a homestay owner near the base.
Also, panda-related souvenirs such as headbands, dolls, school bags and decorative rings sold in stores at the base and in other parts of Chengdu have become popular. — China Daily/ANN
