Chengdu Sister Cities week
The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding hosted the awards ceremony for the “Ambassador of International Friendship City”, and the “ceremony of planting bamboo and revealing name” for the “Bamboo Forest of International Frienship City”. During the ceremony delegates from 23 cities were matched with 23 pandas and given a certificate declaring them 2011 Chengdu – International Friendship City Ambassadors. The recipients then planted bamboo to symbolize their friendship and cooperation.
The idea for pairing giant pandas with the recipients of the 2011 Chengdu – International Friendship Ambassador award was the idea of a manager at the Chengdu Foreign Affairs Office. The giant panda is a globally recognized symbol of China and of friendship, so matching a recipient with a giant panda for the day was another way to show friendship. It also generates more visibility for the giant panda and the issues surrounding endangered species.
Plans are now underway to enable people from the cities that have been declared “friendship cities” to watch and interact with “their” giant panda online.
Source: Chengdu Panda Base
