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Media Oasis Keeps Pace with Major Events in Saudi Arabia

The Media Oasis presents the Kingdom’s major national projects to international media delegations - (SPA)
The Media Oasis presents the Kingdom’s major national projects to international media delegations - (SPA)
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Media Oasis Keeps Pace with Major Events in Saudi Arabia

The Media Oasis presents the Kingdom’s major national projects to international media delegations - (SPA)
The Media Oasis presents the Kingdom’s major national projects to international media delegations - (SPA)

The fourth edition of the Media Oasis was launched in Riyadh on Friday with the aim of developing media coverage on major occasions and national events.

The Media Oasis, which coincides with the Kingdom’s hosting of three high-level summits this week, provides a cutting-edge space and an interactive environment for media professionals.

Stretching over 18,000 square meters, the Media Oasis showcases over 30 major national transformational projects, including NEOM, across six pavilions highlighting the developmental accomplishments of these initiatives.

The Oasis includes seven zones, namely the Welcome Zone, the Saudi Hospitality, the Communication, the Oasis Valley, the Cultural Bridge, and the Oasis Suites and Theater.

The Media Oasis is held in collaboration with key entities such as the Ministry of Sports, the Royal Commission for AlUla Governorate, the Aseer Region Development Authority, the Diriyah Company, the Saudi Fund for Development, the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, the Saudi Export and Import (EXIM) Bank, the Sports Boulevard Project, the Konoz Initiative, the Royal Institute of Traditional Arts (TRITA), and Jahez Company.

Saudi Arabia hosted on Friday the first Saudi-African Union Summit, and will hold on Saturday the Extraordinary Arab Summit and the Extraordinary Islamic Summit to discuss the developments in Gaza.

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Hong Kong Launches Panda Sculpture Tour as the City Hopes the Bear Craze Boosts Tourism

Part of the 2500 panda sculptures are displayed at the Hong Kong International Airport during the welcome ceremony of the panda-themed exhibition "Panda Go!" in Hong Kong, Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. (AP)
Part of the 2500 panda sculptures are displayed at the Hong Kong International Airport during the welcome ceremony of the panda-themed exhibition "Panda Go!" in Hong Kong, Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. (AP)
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Hong Kong Launches Panda Sculpture Tour as the City Hopes the Bear Craze Boosts Tourism

Part of the 2500 panda sculptures are displayed at the Hong Kong International Airport during the welcome ceremony of the panda-themed exhibition "Panda Go!" in Hong Kong, Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. (AP)
Part of the 2500 panda sculptures are displayed at the Hong Kong International Airport during the welcome ceremony of the panda-themed exhibition "Panda Go!" in Hong Kong, Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. (AP)

Thousands of giant panda sculptures will greet residents and tourists starting Saturday in Hong Kong, where enthusiasm for the bears has grown since two cubs were born in a local theme park.

The 2,500 exhibits were showcased in a launch ceremony of PANDA GO! FEST HK, the city's largest panda-themed exhibition, at Hong Kong's airport on Monday. They will be publicly displayed at the Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui, a popular shopping district, this weekend before setting their footprint at three other locations this month.

One designated spot is Ocean Park, home to the twin cubs, their parents and two other pandas gifted by Beijing this year. The design of six of the sculptures, made of recycled rubber barrels and resins among other materials, was inspired by these bears.

The displays reflect Hong Kong’s use of pandas to boost its economy as the Chinese financial hub works to regain its position as one of Asia’s top tourism destinations.

Pandas are considered China’s unofficial national mascot. The country’s giant panda loan program with overseas zoos has long been seen as a tool of Beijing’s soft-power diplomacy.

Hong Kong's tourism industry representatives are upbeat about the potential impact of housing six pandas, hoping to boost visitor numbers even though caring for pandas in captivity is expensive. Officials have encouraged businesses to capitalize on the popularity of the bears to seize opportunities in what some lawmakers have dubbed the “panda economy."

The organizer of the exhibitions also invited some renowned figures, including musician Pharrell Williams, to create special-edition panda designs. Most of these special sculptures will be auctioned online for charity and the proceeds will be donated to Ocean Park to support giant panda conversation efforts.

In a separate media preview event on Monday, the new pair of Beijing-gifted pandas, An An and Ke Ke, who arrived in September, appeared relaxed in their new home at Ocean Park. An An enjoyed eating bamboo in front of the cameras and Ke Ke climbed on an installation. They are set to meet the public on Sunday.

The twin cubs — whose birth in August made their mother Ying Ying the world’s oldest first-time panda mom — may meet visitors as early as February.

Ying Ying and the baby pandas' father, Le Le, are the second pair of pandas gifted by Beijing to Hong Kong since the former British colony returned to China’s rule in 1997.

The first pair were An An and Jia Jia who arrived in 1999. Jia Jia, who died at 38 in 2016, is the world’s oldest-ever panda to have lived in captivity.

The average lifespan for a panda in the wild is 14 to 20 years, while in captivity it’s up to 30 years, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature.