An An, the iconic giant panda of Ocean Park Hong Kong, passed away in July. Has the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government started the process of requesting more pandas to come to Hong Kong? Ocean Park already has the giant panda house available as a hardware construction.
What Hong Kong needs now is for the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau to take the initiative and request more pandas for Hong Kong, in pairs, preferably two pandas. That way, the giant panda house will be fully occupied and able to attract more visitors to Ocean Park. Of course, the value of pandas does not stop there, as their presence reinforces Hong Kong’s role in the great rejuvenation and reunification of the Chinese nation. Besides, pandas always fill people with love and joy wherever they are.
It is best to announce the arrival of more pandas in Hong Kong before the upcoming Lunar New Year, which falls on Jan 22, in keeping with our tradition of giving blessings to loved ones. Pandas are no doubt a major attraction at Ocean Park, as they are everywhere in the world. In recent years, the number of marine animals at Ocean Park has shrunk gradually due to conservation concerns. Therefore, Ocean Park needs a new “cultural icon” sooner rather than later. The giant panda house can be repositioned or refurbished. Ocean Park could become a model for many cultural and creative industries, even creating its unique set of intellectual property rights. Projects could involve animation and different types of panda-themed tours. And the pandas could also inspire the creation of amusement themes for the park. So a panda is much more than a black and white bear. It can and should champion the reform, renewal and revitalization of Ocean Park.
Seeing pandas at Ocean Park could become one of the key programs for visitors to Hong Kong, which in turn would give impetus to the development of tourism. … The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau should spare no effort in supporting Ocean Park and helping it thrive as a major platform for leisure and recreation for the great masses …
Ocean Park and the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the HKSAR should be proactive in asking the central authorities for two pandas to fill the spaces left by An An and Jia Jia. In recent years, the Chinese mainland has successfully bred a large number of pandas in Wolong, Sichuan province. Therefore, the State is capable of granting more pandas to Hong Kong. And the arrival of more pandas in Hong Kong will attract greater attention from visitors of all ages. So, should Hong Kong settle for just one panda or two pandas? I believe it is reasonable for the HKSAR government to ask for two pandas, because Ocean Park is capable of raising four pandas at once. Getting pandas to come to Hong Kong is going to be an extremely important heart-winning project for the HKSAR government in the immediate future.
Seeing pandas at Ocean Park could become one of the key programs for visitors to Hong Kong, which in turn would give impetus to the development of tourism. Whether in terms of local tourism or tourism in the Asia region outside Hong Kong, panda-related projects could become a great driving force. The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau should focus on combining the three aspects of culture, sports and tourism, and propose a series of policy directions for the future. One of them, of great significance, would be to make an application to the State Council to grant a panda for Ocean Park as soon as possible. Ocean Park is also directly under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau. Since its opening in 1977, Ocean Park has been the only nonprofit public theme park in Hong Kong, a historical achievement in its own right. The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau should spare no effort in supporting Ocean Park and helping it thrive as a major platform for leisure and recreation for the great masses, and which also tells the story of Hong Kong from a unique perspective.
The author is a member of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies and artistic director of Zuni Icosahedron.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.