'PANDA GO! Fest Hong Kong': 2,500 giant panda sculptures to tour 4 iconic locations this month

By Efe Ozkan

ISTANBUL (AA) - Hong Kong is embracing the "Panda Economy" as 2,500 giant panda sculptures prepare to tour four iconic locations this month, local media reported.

The large-scale exhibition, titled "PANDA GO! Fest Hong Kong," officially welcomed the sculptures on Monday with a ceremony held on the tarmac of Hong Kong International Airport.

Beginning this Saturday, the panda sculptures will be displayed at three different locations over three consecutive weekends: the Avenue of Stars, Ngong Ping 360, and Ocean Park, reflecting the growing interest in pandas following the birth of two cubs at a local theme park, Dimsum Daily reported on Monday.

They will culminate in a special exhibition at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Park on Dec. 25 and 26, during which the public can view the installations for free, the daily added.

The panda cubs, born in August, made their mother Ying Ying the world's oldest panda mother. They may greet visitors as early as February 2025.

The exhibit will go to Ocean Park, which is home to the twin cubs, their parents, and two other pandas gifted by China this year. An An and Ke Ke, the new pair of Beijing-gifted pandas who arrived in September, will meet the public on Sunday, CNN reported.

The displays highlight Hong Kong's use of pandas to boost its economy and reclaim its status as a top Asian tourism destination, as well as China's use of pandas, its unofficial national mascot, as a soft-power diplomacy tool through its global loan program.

The average lifespan of a panda in the wild is 14 to 20 years, but it can live up to 30 years in captivity, according to the World Wildlife Fund for Nature.