Tourists encountered a wild panda on the road at a scenic spot in northwest China's Shaanxi Province during the National Day Holiday, which ran from Oct 1 to 7.
The wild panda was spotted at the Dajiangou scenic area in Baoji City. The panda's adorable appearance and movements left tourists delighted.
This year, it was not the first time that tourists had encountered a wild panda at the scenic spot.
Thanks to efforts in ecological conservation, the forest coverage rate in the Shaanxi section of the Qinling Mountains has surpassed 80 percent. The area is now home to 345 pandas.
The improved natural environment has also played a role in the growth of the crested ibis population, which has risen from seven to 10,000 in more than four decades.
The crested ibis, with its iconic red crest and long black beak, was thought to be extinct in China until seven wild birds appeared in Yangxian County of Shaanxi Province in 1981.
"Restoring the population size of such an endangered species to over 10,000 is a landmark and unique example of species restoration," said Liu Yinzeng, a researcher at the Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The Shaanxi section of the Qinling Mountains is also home to about 6,000 golden snub-nosed monkeys and more than 5,000 takins.
Both golden snub-nosed monkey and takin are animals under first-class national protection in China.
Tourists encounter wild panda at scenic spot in Shaanxi
The 32nd Macao International Fireworks Display Contest held this year lit up the skies for two weeks and served a testament to the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR)'s role as a hub for diverse global cultures.
Organized by the Macao Government Tourism Office, the contest commenced on September 14 and lasted until October 6, pitting firework shows from ten countries against each other to compete for best show.
Competing shows combined the fireworks with music that blended both Chinese and international elements.
"Our music features not only traditional Chinese instruments, such as the morin khuur (a traditional Mongolian bowed stringed instrument also known as the horse-head fiddle) evoking horse racing, but also a variety of other styles. It blends elements from both Chinese and Western traditions, much like Macao itself," said Zhong Liang, Deputy General Manager of Dongxin Fireworks Group in the Chinese mainland.
"I tried everything in the this show, one concept is very important. I am very happy to participate in this festival because this festival is [one of the most impressive] in the world," said Antonio Lieto, Executive President and Fireworks Designer of Italy's Fireworks Lieto S.R.L.
"This show was designed just for this, just for Macao. It's called Astrum. It's inspired by the Solar system, so we want to make something really unique and really special that can touch the heart of the of all the people watching," said Jose Ribeiro, Executive President of Portugal's firework manufacturer Pirotecnia Oleirense.
In the end, the Chinese show took the grand prize, with Russian firework company Pyro-Klass taking runner up and Marutamaya Ogatsu Fireworks from Japan landing third place.
The tourism office has been organizing the event since 1989.
The fireworks contest was covered in the fourth episode of the China Media Group (CMG) documentary series titled "25 Years of Lotus Bond."
The series premiered on CCTV-1 at 20:00 Dec 13 and will run until Dec 17, with subsequent broadcasts on CCTV-4 and CCTV-13.
The series highlights the successful practices of "one country, two systems" in Macao under the strategic guidance of the central government.
The Chinese government resumed the exercise of sovereignty over Macao and established the Macao SAR on December 20, 1999.
Int'l fireworks contest articulates cultural diversity in Macao SAR
