CHENGDU: Panda this, panda that.
In China's happiest city where pandas reign supreme, the Chengdu High-Tech Zone Sports Centre, the official venue for Thomas and Uber Cup Finals 2024, has become the epicentre of panda fever.
From the moment spectators stepped into the venue, they were greeted by cute official mascots known as Xiong Du Du and Yu Rong Rong and panda-themed banners.
Even the giant shuttlecock installed on the second floor of the venue had panda ears.
However, the real stars of the show are the fridge magnets featuring Yu Rong Rong playing badminton.
Priced at 68 Chinese yuan (approximately RM44.93), these magnets have been selling like hotcakes since the opening day of the tournament last Saturday.
According to a staff member manning the official merchandise booth, Liu Jialin, the overwhelming response from badminton fans totally blew her away.
"The response was really great. We can sell around 300 pieces per day. Better grab one before they are gone," she told Bernama.
In addition to the fridge magnets, tote bags, pins, notebooks and small figurines of both mascots were among the top sellers.
Amidst the excitement among fans inside the arena, local journalists were all about pandas, too, posing questions about the iconic creatures to the players.
Among the popular questions after the games were, 'Do you like pandas?' and 'Have you ever seen a panda in Chengdu?'
Perhaps that was one of the effective ways to entice foreign visitors, particularly to explore the renowned panda base, Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, located 10 kilometres (km) away from the city centre.
Spanning 3.07 square km, this base serves as the world's preeminent institution for giant panda conservation, scientific research, breeding and cultural tourism.
It's no wonder that pandas stole the limelight in Chengdu – they are just too adorable to resist!