Chinese city launches giant panda-related promotional campaign in Poland

Chengdu, the capital city of southwest China's Sichuan Province, initiated a three-day giant panda-related promotional campaign here on Friday.

Activities in the campaign include interactive programs featuring virtual reality(VR) devices and people dressed in panda costumes, a selfie contest on the social networking site Facebook, as well as dancing, martial arts and food shows.

Shen Yulin, director of the External Activities Bureau of the Chengdu Association for Cultural Exchange with Foreign Countries, said the campaign would enhance Chengdu's reputation as the hometown of the giant pandas, which is a symbol of China and enjoys global popularity.

Under the theme of "Panda Rail·VR Chengdu", the campaign also emphasized the city's direct link to Europe via a rail cargo service between itself and Poland's Lodz. The rail has become a popular logistics route for Chinese trade with Europe.

Giant pandas are one of the world's most endangered species. Fewer than 2,000 pandas live in the wild, mostly in the Chinese provinces of Sichuan and Shaanxi.

Warsaw is the second stop of the Chinese city's promotional campaign. Earlier this month, similar activities were held in Frankfurt, Germany. Enditem