Case Name: Sichuan, China · Grand Tourism Show “Panda's Return”
Case Category: Technological Empowerment for the Development of Cultural Industries
Case Location: Sichuan Province, China
Case Applicants: Ya'an Giant Panda 1869 Song and Dance Troupe Co., Ltd., Ya'an Science Education Center of Giant Panda National Park
Case Overview:
Case Description
With a total investment of approximately 260 million yuan, covering an area of 57 mu (about 3.8 hectares), a building area of 28,000 square meters, and 1,200 audience seats, this case is located in "Ya'an, the Lung of Tianfu & Hometown of Giant Pandas". It is a core cultural and tourism project for the city of Ya'an to fulfill the mission of building "an important global destination for giant panda cultural tourism". As a benchmark work after the Fourth Plenary Session of the Fifth Ya'an Municipal Party Committee clarified the "One Region Leading" strategy, the project closely focuses on the two major brand images of "1869: Birthplace of the World's Giant Panda Discovery" and "Giant Panda-style Slow Life". Taking the 155-year journey of giant pandas' scientific discovery, ecological protection and cultural dissemination as the main line, it deeply integrates Ya'an's "New Three Elegances" – "Yabao" culture, tea culture and natural ecological resources. Through the large-scale tourism performance, audiences can experience the legendary journey of giant pandas from Ya'an to the world, helping the implementation of the "Cultural Tourism-driven City Development" strategy and the high-quality development of the cultural and tourism industry.
Solutions and Innovation
Ya'an is the world's first place where giant pandas were scientifically discovered (Dengchigou, Baoxing in 1869) and the first city to release giant pandas into the wild. It boasts the core area of Giant Panda National Park and a unique ecological environment, carrying a complete cultural context of giant pandas from scientific discovery to ecological protection, and possessing a natural foundation for creating an exclusive giant panda-themed IP. Meanwhile, Ya'an is advancing the construction of "an important global destination for giant panda cultural tourism", which requires filling the gap in large-scale characteristic performances and addressing the industrial shortcoming of transforming from a "transit corridor" to a "tourism hub".
This case adopts digital technologies such as holographic projection, 8K giant screens, digital twin, AR interfaces and wirework linkage, and constructs Cenozoic glacial ecological models to realize "time-space folding" non-linear narrative and create a shocking visual effect of "wormhole traversal". Equipped with a 1,500-square-meter immersive light and shadow area, 30 laser projectors, environmental effects (water, electricity, gas, fog, wind), transparent LED screens and naked-eye 4D experience, it breaks the physical boundaries of the stage and enhances the audience's sense of immersion. This changes the limitations of time-space narrative that made it difficult to present million-year spans and fantasy scenes, as well as the lack of immersive viewing experience that weakened audience perception. It facilitates the cross-cultural communication of giant panda culture, enhances the scientificity and appeal of ecological narrative, and transforms cultural symbols into perceivable living experiences.
The Ya'an Science Education Center of Giant Panda National Park established by this case covers chapters such as the scientific discovery of giant pandas, their physical structure and habits, giant panda populations under human intervention, giant pandas on the world stage, and activating global vitality. It aims to arouse people's love for giant pandas and encourage reflection and exploration of the way of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.
Social Effects
Within six months of opening, the case has received over 300,000 tourists, and related experience videos have generated over 100 million views on platforms such as Douyin and WeChat Channels. It has been reported by People's Daily in its "Beautiful China" column, CCTV's Focus Interview in its "New Chapter of Cultural Tourism in Ecological Protection" special program and hailed by Chinese National Geography as "a model of interpreting the epic of life through technology".
The case has become an important practice site of the National Ecological Civilization Education Base, hosting inspections from international organizations such as the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). As a Belt and Road natural and cultural exchange project, it vividly tells the story of China's ecological protection to overseas tourists. Its "in-depth ecological IP development model", "technology-empowered natural narrative method" and "community-participated sustainable operation system" have provided a replicable and promotable "Ya'an Solution" for ecological cultural and tourism development in nature reserves at home and abroad, attracting many national-level tourist resorts and national park management authorities to conduct inspections and learn.
Support for Sustainable Development Goals
SDG 4 (Quality Education)
SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure)
SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production)
SDG 15 (Life on Land)
