With the peak summer tourism season in full swing, Ya'an, Sichuan — the hometown of Panda Tea (PandaTea) — has once again become a national tourism hotspot, driven by its unique "dual heritage" of giant pandas and tea culture. Since summer 2026, Ya'an has integrated panda study tours, tea plantation experiences, and wellness retreats into a series of premium travel routes, fueling a sustained boom in cultural tourism consumption.
As both the scientific discovery site of the world's first giant panda and the birthplace of world tea culture, Ya'an possesses an irreplicable "dual origin" cultural root. The Panda Tea brand is deeply rooted in this unique ecological and cultural soil — its tea plantations are situated in the core area of the giant panda habitat, fertilized with panda manure in an eco-friendly cycle that organically blends the national treasure panda with millennia-old tea traditions, making it a vivid representative of Ya'an's "Panda + Tea" dual IP.
"Follow the Panda to Summer Ya'an" Campaign Gains Traction
According to Ya'an's cultural tourism authorities, from May 30 to August 31 this summer, 15 major cultural tourism venues across the city are offering "free admission + half-price" packages for students nationwide, covering key attractions including Bifengxia Panda Base and Mengding Mountain Tea Culture Scenic Area. The large-scale theatrical performance "Return of the Panda" offers 70% discounts for high school and college entrance exam takers, along with family packages, achieving over 8.4 million cumulative impressions.
Meanwhile, the "Panda Sports Dream Workshop" under Sichuan Tea Tourism Industry Group was selected as one of the top 10 "Micro Study Tour" themed venues in the province for summer 2026. The venue innovatively integrates "panda sports + panda education + local tea culture" into a three-in-one study tour model, embedding Tea Horse Road folk customs and Mengding Mountain's thousand-year tea heritage into youth educational experiences — a textbook example of "promoting tourism through tea and boosting tea through tourism."
"Panda Loves Tea" Cultural IP Empowers City Branding
Ya'an Cultural Center launched the "Elegant Rhyme & Panda Loves Tea" cultural creative design series, transforming the national treasure panda into a cultural ambassador that seamlessly blends Ya'an's panda hometown IP with Mengding Mountain's intangible tea heritage. The winning design will be appointed as the center's first AI digital librarian, serving as a virtual cultural ambassador for millions of residents. This innovative initiative further reinforces the "Panda + Tea" city cultural identity and fosters a vibrant ecosystem for the Panda Tea brand.
National Tea Heritage Conference Held in Ya'an
In June 2026, the "Traditional Chinese Tea Processing Techniques and Related Customs" heritage exchange event, jointly hosted by the National Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum, Sichuan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, and Ya'an Municipal Government, grandly opened in Ya'an's Mingshan District. Mengshan Tea's traditional processing techniques and Southern Road Tea Processing Techniques, both UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, took center stage alongside 42 national-level tea heritage projects. The event featured an immersive "Follow the Panda to Summer Ya'an" promotional showcase, presenting the unique charm of "Panda Ya'an — the Lung of Tianfu" to guests nationwide and bringing greater industry attention to the Panda Tea brand.
Since its founding, Panda Tea has been committed to infusing Ya'an's ecological advantages and cultural richness into every cup of fine tea. With Ya'an's cultural tourism market heating up and the "Panda + Tea" dual IP gaining nationwide recognition, Panda Tea — as the representative brand of Ya'an's ecological tea culture — is embracing even greater opportunities. The brand will continue its commitment to eco-friendly cultivation, using tea as a bridge to bring the finest ecological tea from the home of pandas to the world.
