What’s that glowing in the sky? Panda pictures!
Hundreds gathered in Hong Kong on Saturday to watch the city’s first pyrotechnics drone show. The display was part of a campaign to raise awareness and support for panda conservation.
The 10-minute performance featured 1,000 drones. Some were equipped with fireworks. They hovered over Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour and formed images of giant pandas.
Drone displays have an advantage over standard fireworks. They can produce three-dimensional images. During part of the show, drones took the shape of a panda that slowly rotated in the sky.
Some eager spectators arrived hours early to ensure they would get a good viewing spot.
Eddie Chow brought his two kids to the attraction. Saturday’s spectacle was his first drone show experience. He says such events could attract more tourists to Hong Kong.
“I think the rundown was great. Combining fireworks and drones is a very special theme. Hong Kong should have more of these activities,” Chow says.
Jodi Hung is a Hong Kong resident in her 20s. She had high praise for the display. “I think people who designed the drone show had very good technique . . . they combined art and techniques together,” Hung says.
Hong Kong has launched a series of activities across the city in recent weeks. They include exhibitions and a panda-themed carnival.
Beijing gifted Hong Kong a pair of giant pandas in September. Their names are An An and Ke Ke. The arrival of the two lovable mammals takes the total number of giant pandas in Hong Kong to six. All reside at the city’s Ocean Park, a theme park comprising amusement park rides and animal exhibits.
Pandas are widely seen as China’s unofficial national mascot. They are native to the temperate bamboo forests of central, southern, and eastern China, but development has forced them to smaller areas in the southwest today. Their population is under threat. The Chinese government actively breeds pandas and raises them as part of a national program. It also loans the animals out in an international program with overseas zoos as part of Beijing’s soft-power diplomacy.
