According to a report in Hong Kong’s Wen Wei Po on September 1, in order to welcome the mainland’s gift of two giant pandas from Hong Kong and the first pair of giant panda twins born in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong and Kowloon Western District Association, in conjunction with the Yau Tsim Mong, Sham Shui Po and Kowloon City District offices, and the Hong Kong Federation of Youth, Hong Kong Sichuan Association, Hong Kong Chengdu Association and Hong Kong Ocean Park to jointly organize“Welcome Panda series activities.”. In addition, the Association of Kowloon West will launch a“Panda keeper experience programme” to recruit 20 Hong Kong youths to Sichuan Panda Base for free to experience the work of a panda keeper.
Hong Kong’s Kowloon West Community Association, together with a number of co-organisers and supporting organisations, held a press conference on the afternoon of September 1 to announce the official launch of the“Welcome Panda Series”.
According to the report, the Executive Vice President of the Association of Kowloon West District and Chairman of the preparatory committee for the“Welcome Panda Series”, the executive chairman of the Hong Kong Sichuan Association and the President of the Hong Kong Chengdu Association, Yan Xiaoying, said that, as China’s national treasure, the panda’s charm lies not only in its lovely appearance, but also in its profound cultural heritage and the symbol of friendship, the“Welcome Panda Series” is an important moment for Hong Kong people to welcome this precious national natural heritage. This series of activities, with the theme of“ICPANDA I see pandas”, consists of three connected and interrelated activities, bringing panda culture into the community, it is hoped that the event will further promote cultural exchange between Hong Kong and Sichuan, and boost tourism and economic development in Hong Kong. It is expected that 1 million local residents and overseas tourists will participate in the event.
The report mentioned that Yan Xiaoying introduced that, the programmes include a light sculpture display on the external wall of the Hong Kong Space Museum, a 12-item fiberglass panda exhibition entitled“Heart-to-heart Panda Harbourfront”, and a cultural gala entitled“Tianfu Shuyun celebrates National Day”, and the Panda Bauhinia Lantern Show from Zigong, Sichuan province. Admission to the six-month event is free and a panda-themed catering event will be held during the period.
According to reports, in order to further deepen the“Sichuan-hong Kong co-operation conference mechanism” and promote cultural exchanges between Sichuan and Hong Kong, the Association of various sectors in Kowloon West has even launched a special“Panda Keeper Experience Scheme”, will sincerely recruit 20 Hong Kong young people to Sichuan Panda base free of charge, first-hand experience as a panda keeper work, including the preparation of feed. The Chairman of the Hong Kong Federation of youth groups, Lin Haoyi, said the programme would provide a rare learning opportunity for young people in Hong Kong to experience their role as panda keepers, and deepen the understanding of ecological conservation work. She believed that these experiences would inspire the younger generation in cultural exchange and ecological conservation, and promote in-depth exchanges between the younger generation of Sichuan and Hong Kong. In addition, the Ocean Park is discussing with the organizers to arrange for these young panda ambassadors to visit the Ocean Park to learn the basics of panda conservation before leaving for Sichuan, prepare them for the experience program later.