Hong Kong Embraces Panda Craze with Sculpture Tour to Boost Tourism

Hong Kong is set to welcome thousands of panda sculptures as part of a large-scale exhibition designed to reignite its tourism sector. Starting Saturday, residents and visitors will encounter these captivating installations in various locations across the city, marking a significant effort to embrace the panda phenomenon.  

The initiative, titled "Panda Go! Fest HK," was inaugurated at Hong Kong International Airport on Monday, featuring 2,500 panda sculptures. This event, touted as the city’s largest panda-themed exhibition, will initially be displayed at the Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui, a bustling shopping area. Throughout the month, the sculptures will be relocated to three additional venues, including Ocean Park, which serves as the home for six pandas.  

Among these pandas are twin cubs born in August to parents Ying Ying and Le Le, alongside two newly arrived pandas gifted by Beijing. The sculptures, crafted using recycled materials such as rubber barrels and resins, include six designs inspired by the bears, emphasizing sustainability and artistic creativity.  

This initiative reflects Hong Kong’s strategic use of pandas to revitalize its economy. Once a leading tourist destination in Asia, the city is working to reclaim its status following years of challenges. Officials and business leaders are optimistic about the potential of the so-called "panda economy," which leverages the charm of these iconic animals to attract visitors.  

Pandas are widely recognized as China’s unofficial national mascot and are often utilized as a tool of soft-power diplomacy. Over the years, the country’s panda loan program to overseas zoos has fostered goodwill globally. Hong Kong is now tapping into this symbolic appeal by encouraging local enterprises to seize opportunities presented by the popularity of the bears.  

In a unique twist, renowned artists and celebrities have been invited to design special-edition panda sculptures for the event. These exclusive creations will be auctioned online, with proceeds directed toward panda conservation efforts at Ocean Park.  

Meanwhile, the newly arrived pandas, An An and Ke Ke, have settled into their home at Ocean Park since their arrival in September. At a media preview earlier this week, the pair displayed their playful personalities—An An relished bamboo while Ke Ke explored his surroundings. They will officially meet the public on Sunday.  

The twin cubs, whose birth in August marked a historic milestone for their mother Ying Ying as the world’s oldest first-time panda mom, are expected to debut to visitors in February. Ying Ying and Le Le, gifted to Hong Kong in 2007, represent the second pair of pandas Beijing has sent to the city since its return to Chinese rule in 1997.  

Hong Kong’s original pandas, An An and Jia Jia, arrived in 1999. Jia Jia, who passed away in 2016 at the age of 38, remains the oldest panda ever recorded in captivity. While wild pandas typically live between 14 and 20 years, those in captivity can reach up to 30 years, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature.  

This panda-focused initiative underscores Hong Kong’s efforts to capitalize on the universal appeal of these beloved animals, fostering cultural and economic revitalization in the process.