Co-organized by the China Tourism Office in Tokyo and the Sichuan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, the event, “Hello! China – Cozy Sichuan – Japanese fans reunion trip for Xiang Xiang”, was successfully held in Tokyo. Chinese and Japanese travel industry representatives, media, giant panda fan groups and 300 guests attended the event.
The purpose of this event was to send off the delegation that will leave for Sichuan on June 11th and reunite with the giant panda “Xiang Xiang”. The delegation, comprised of 20 members including representatives of famous Japanese travel agencies, media reporters, internet celebrities and panda fans, will travel to the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCPRCP) Bifengxia Base in Ya’an, Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding and Jiuzhaigou World Natural Heritage Site to explore the footprints of the pandas, taste Sichuan delicacies, and enjoy the magnificent scenery in China in the 6-day tour.
Ouyang An, director of the China Tourism Office in Tokyo, said in his speech that giant pandas are loved by people from all over the world, including Japan, and are friendly ambassadors between China and Japan. He said he hoped that through this event, not only can Japanese fans who care about and love “Xiang Xiang” understand the cozy life of “Xiang Xiang” in Ya’an, Sichuan Province, but also look forward to attracting more Japanese people to visit Sichuan and other areas of China for sightseeing and leisure, and promote deep cultural and tourism exchanges and cooperation between China and Japan.
“In the future, I will take more photos to let Japanese fans who miss ‘Princess Xiang Xiang’ know how she is doing,” said Takashi Takahiro, a Japanese giant panda photographer, “and I also hope to convey the friendship and warmth of the Chinese people to more Japanese people in this way.”
On the site of the event, “Smile”, the mascot of Adventure World Amusement Park in Wakayama Prefecture, which is loved by the Japanese people, also made a brilliant appearance and pushed the atmosphere of the site to a climax by virtue of its high popularity.
The event was broadcast live online by the organizer, and many Japanese viewers said they were looking forward to going to China and starting an extraordinary trip.
