'Kung Fu Panda in Beijing' Dazzles Torontonians

TORONTO, June 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 25, 2013, a Chinese style drama titled Kung Fu Panda in Beijing was performed at the century-old Royal Alexandra Theatre. The electrifying Chinese kung fu performance dazzled the 1,000-plus Torontonians in attendance resulting in thunderous applause numerous times throughout the performance.

This marked the first time that the Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development has hosted a Beijing tourism culture performance in Toronto, the largest city in Canada. Kung Fu Panda in Beijing used an anthropomorphic approach to portray a pair of pandas whose dream was to learn Chinese kung fu. This desire attracted them to Beijing Shichahai Sports School, a school known for cultivating many past and present kung fu champions. In Beijing, they encountered many kind-hearted people and also experienced its profound historical cultural heritage. Moreover, they fully appreciated Beijing's charm and its rich tourism resources.

At the event, Eason, a boy watching the Kung Fu Panda show with his parents, was excited to see the wonderful show being put on by performers from Beijing. He has seen pandas at the Toronto Zoo, but he still wants to go to Beijing to see more. His parents have expressed interest in Beijing's 72-hour visa-free transit policy.

Mr. Zou Weinan, a commissioner of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development said, "Although pandas are not native to Beijing, Chinese kung fu and other regional martial arts as a whole do have a close relationship with the city. Over the years, Shichahai Sports School of Beijing has cultivated many kung fu champions including Jet Li, who is a kung fu superstar known all around the world. Shichahai Sports School is also a popular tourist attraction; Kung Fu Panda in Beijing brought to light a portion of Beijing's vast tourism resources and many scenic spots. Judging from the audience's enthusiastic reaction, it shows that people appreciate the city's vitality.

Chinese Deputy Consul General in Toronto Dongmei Wu said the public unveiling of a pair of giant pandas, Da Mao and Er Shun, from China at the Toronto Zoo is bound to set off a wave of pandamania in Canada. The performance, an event created and provided by the Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development and which includes the stories about pandas, is meant to boost interest in visiting Beijing. The event is suitable for children. Promoting tourism though performance is a highly visual and direct way that can get them to feel the excitement and be willing to take it a step further. These efforts are expected to further drive the development of Beijing's tourism industry and its cooperation with Canada.

Canada is an important tourism market for China. In recent years, business travelers and tourists traveling from Canada to Beijing have increased every year with the number of Canadian tourists visiting Beijing reaching 150,000 to 180,000 annually. The number of airline passengers from Beijing to Canada has also trended upwards.

SOURCE Beijing Tourism Development Committee