Creative products of giant panda a thriving industry in Chengdu

China

Creative products of giant panda a thriving industry in Chengdu

2025-04-24 17:33 Last Updated At：20:27

Chengdu, the capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, keeps rolling out novelly designed giant panda toys and images while organizing cultural exchange activities worldwide to attract more fans of the cute animal and offer them a channel to learn more about China.

Cultural and creative products of giant pandas have become a thriving industry in Chengdu. The city currently has over 10,000 enterprises that use the image of a giant panda as a cultural symbol, according to the Sichuan Giant Panda National Park Cultural Creativity Innovation Alliance. Chengdu is the largest habitat for giant pandas in the world.

Last year, Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding received over 12.2 million tourist visits, and its giant panda cultural and creative products sales exceeded 210 million yuan (about 29 million U.S. dollars).

Many of the participators in the growing market have been trying to create creative designs and products that can bring customers a whole new experience.

Fang Zixi, founder of Sichuan Hengwan Cultural Communication Company Limited, a company specializing in innovative art and cultural content, said she and her team have been striving to target young customer groups and to integrate cultural messages into product design.

"In creativity and design, we try to deliver cultural messages by incorporating elements of history, culture, and stories into physical items," said Fang.

Some cultural and creative product creators aim to help giant panda IP go overseas, and the creative team of Chen Guangyu, founder of GOGOPANDA Panda Departure, has successfully promoted their artistic giant panda statues worldwide.

Chen said his team has held over 300 activities in 60 cities worldwide, attracting more than 10 million visits.

"During the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, we held an exhibition in the city, and we invited a French artist to create this giant panda statue. We want to promote Chinese culture through the image of giant pandas and interact and communicate with other cultures around the world," said Chen.

Brazil in midst of heatwave with more extreme temperatures expected

Multiple states across Brazil have been gripped by an intense heatwave in recent days, prompting local authorities to issue weather alerts and urging residents to take precautions, with the high temperatures forecast to continue.

Southeastern states including Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Minas Gerais have been experiencing the most extreme heat, with temperatures climbing to a sweltering high of 40.8 degrees Celsius in Rio de Janeiro on Monday.

Authorities across the country have been sending out weather warnings, with residents being advised to avoid prolonged outdoor activities and medics reminding people to take measures to ensure they stay hydrated.

"[You have to] drink plenty of water, use a fan. There is not much you can do to escape it, really. It is absurdly hot," said Ana Flavia, a local resident in Sao Paulo.

"With this change in temperature and the excessive heat, we see a lot of cases of dehydration," said Tiago Foliate Pitirilo, a doctor from the city's Hospital Sao Camilo.

The sweltering heat may be around for a while more, according to experts, who say higher water temperatures in the Pacific Ocean mean Brazil is likely to face more frequent heatwaves this year.

"The ocean forecast indicates that in the second half of the year we will have a warmer Pacific Ocean. This allows us to infer that the number of heat waves in 2026 may be higher than last year, when the Pacific Ocean was cooler," said Marecelo Seluchi, a meteorologist from Brazil's National Center for Monitoring and Alerts for Natural Disasters (CEMADEN).