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Taiwan children start mainland panda tour

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-07-04 19:50

TAIPEI: A group of 19 underprivileged Taiwan children flew to Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, on Saturday in a tour to visit pandas.

Zhang Yun, general manager of the Taiwan Office of mainland-based Air China, which sponsored the tour, said the middle school children were from southwest Taiwan's Chiayi County and were selected for their academic excellence.

Related readings:  Baby panda born at Chiang Mai Zoo in Bangkok  Chengdu card boosts visitors to Panda-demic proportions  Panda gets an icy gift amid summer heat  Public invited to name panda cub  Giant panda to the rescue of tourism

During the six-day visit, they will watch pandas up close, travel to the Mount E'mei scenic area and meet local schoolchildren.

In April, Air China's Taiwan Office sponsored a trip for 107 underprivileged primary schoolchildren from Chiayi to visit giant pandas "Tuan Tuan" and "Yuan Yuan" in the Taipei City Zoo.

The pandas, whose names together mean "reunion" in Chinese, arrived at the zoo on Dec 23, 2008 as the gifts from the mainland.

The pair have attracted more than 1 million visitors since their public debut on Jan 26, 2009.

Giant pandas are among the world's most endangered animals. About 1,590 pandas live in the wild in China, mostly in Sichuan and the northwestern provinces of Shaanxi and Gansu.