Newborn tiger cubs meet visitors at Chinese zoos ahead of Int'l Tiger Day

Several newborn tiger cubs have been making their public debut and delighting tourists at zoos across China ahead of the International Tiger Day which falls on Monday.

Founded by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) back in 2010, the International Tiger Day is held annually on July 29 and aims to raise awareness of the important conservation work needed to protect the natural habitat of the endangered big cats.

Among the sites introducing new cubs to visitors for the first time is the Wangcheng Park Zoo in Luoyang City of central China's Henan province.

The Wangcheng Park Zoo began to breed the first batch of South China Tigers -- one of the most endangered animal species in China -- back in 1985, and is now home to the largest number of these tigers anywhere in the country.

The latest two additions to the zoo's South China tiger population have just reached 100 days old, and on Sunday the twins were unveiled to the public for the first time, delighting visitors.

"I like the tiger cubs very much. I'm very happy today. I'll come back and see them again," said Han Xuhang, a young tourist.

Staff at the zoo say that a dedicated team has been assigned to care for the twins and are observing their condition every day.

"These two South China tigers are twin brothers. Their mother has no parenting experience, so we zookeepers have taken on the responsibility of the tiger mother. When the two little tigers were born, one weighed 1,175 grams and the other 1,120 grams. Currently, they both weigh around four kilograms," said Liu Zhaoyang, the deputy head of the Wangcheng Park.

Video footage shows the young tiger duo to be bright-eyed and alert as they cautiously survey their surroundings and zookeepers say they are developing well, and are now consuming plenty of food.

"They have a big appetite now. They can eat four meals a day, including two milk feeds and two meat feeds," said Liu.

Meanwhile, it's been a happy summer so far at the Guaipo Tiger Park in Shenyang City of northeast China's Liaoning Province, where two Siberian tiger mothers have each given birth to triplets - including five males and one female cub. Their birth dates are less than two weeks apart, and they are currently being raised by one of the mother tigers.

"We will gradually increase the milk feeds for the young tigers after they are 20 days old. Then when they are around 40 days old, we will start adding minced meat to their diet. At around 50 days, we will begin feeding them chicken carcasses," said Feng Zhirong, a veterinarian at the Guaipo Tiger Park.

As Siberian tigers prefer colder weather, the zookeepers have prepared a water pond, a fountain, and ice blocks to help the tiger mothers and their cubs stay cool during the scorching summer days.

Zookeepers say they will also look to gradually expand the activity range of the young tigers, in order to improve their ability to survive and adapt in the wild.

Newborn tiger cubs meet visitors at Chinese zoos ahead of Int'l Tiger Day

To celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, the charcoal sparks dance, an intangible cultural heritage of China, provided a visual feast for visitors at a scenic spot in east China's Anhui Province As night fell at the Qiyunshan scenic spot in Xiuning County on Saturday, a charcoal sparks dance performance illuminated the sky. As the performers waved bamboo poles adorned with spark-emitting cages, sparks transformed into countless golden flowers.

"I've seen it on TV before. It's even more amazing and enjoyable to see on site. I highly recommend it," said Shen Lusha, a tourist.

The charcoal sparks dance is a traditional folk dance originating from central China's Hunan Province. The performers place red-hot charcoal fuel into a small iron wire cage, which is then tied to the tip of a bamboo pole with a rope. Then they swing the bamboo pole, triggering the wire lantern to move. In the night, the dance creates a mesmerizing display, with changing movements and flying sparks.

"The dimmer the light, the better it will be," said Wang Tongzhang, an inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage.

The dance not only won acclaim from the audience offline, but also gained the attention of tens of millions of online viewers on the short video platforms.

"Dancing requires a lot of efforts. Once you start, you have to keep going. The bigger the movements, the larger the sparks. So if you begin dancing, you can't pause. Sometimes, the charcoal sparks may even fall on my head and burn my hair. Through my videos, I hope people can see and understand this traditional culture," said Shi Haifeng, a short video maker.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday this year, Qiyunshan scenic spot has created an immersive tourism experience with focus on intangible cultural heritage performances, aiming to attract first-time visitors to return.

"While enjoying the beautiful scenery of Qiyun Mountain, tourists can also immerse themselves in intangible cultural heritage skills. During the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, it is expected that the number of tourists will exceed 100,000," said Tao Ru, manager of the cultural tourism department of the Qiyunshan Management Committee.

The Mid-Autumn Festival in China is a festival in honor of the moon and harvest, as well as an occasion for family and friend reunions to eat mooncakes and appreciate the moon. It falls on the fifteenth day of the eight month in the traditional Chinese calendar.

This year's festival falls on Sept 17, with the public holiday running from Sunday to Tuesday.

Dazzling charcoal sparks dance provides visual fest for visitors in China's Anhui