On the afternoon of June 8, the "Pandas and Communities: Shared Prosperity for People's Livelihood" Global Giant Panda Cultural Exchange Event took place at "Shan Shang · Wenming Li" in Jinjiang District, Chengdu. Over a hundred participants—including community representatives, members of public welfare organizations, and international students from Sichuan University—gathered at this key venue in the Park City Demonstration Zone to experience firsthand the vivid practices of Chinese-style modernization in community governance and living environment improvement in Chengdu.
At 4:00 PM, a robot panda—the same model that appeared on the Spring Festival Gala—served as a "guide" to lead Chinese and international guests into "Wenming Li." As Chengdu’s first New Era Civilized Practice Park, "Shan Shang · Wenming Li" regularly hosts public-benefit activities, creating an age-friendly living space that serves nearly 100,000 residents in surrounding communities.
On the lawn area, the "Under-the-Trees Concert" built a bridge for emotional connections among neighbors. At the panda-themed creative bazaar, woven "hemp art" works by women from Haitang Road Community in Jinjiang District and handicrafts by the "Panda Embroidery Sisters" team from Shizi Community in Chenghua District demonstrated how community-incubated projects empower residents with enhanced vocational skills and improved quality of life. The panda-themed intangible cultural heritage interactive experience zone attracted many Chinese and foreign guests, who engaged in traditional crafts such as paper-cutting and dough figurine making.
During the event, guests watched documentary screenings of Endless Life: Roger T. Ames and Chinese Philosophy, The Gaze of Civilizations: When Ancient Shu Meets Ancient Egypt, and Witnesses of Friendship. This was followed by a "Face-to-Face with People's Livelihood" thematic dialogue session, where the head of Fengshu Community shared practical experiences in creating a harmonious and livable environment and in resident-led co-creation projects. Representatives from the on-site public welfare organization Ant Music Space presented their youth-driven reflections on using music as a medium to spread culture and strength while serving communities and residents.
Leveraging the giant panda as an international cultural icon, this event vividly showcased real-life cases of grassroots community governance and human rights protection in the process of Chinese-style modernization. The community governance model of co-construction, co-governance, and shared benefits—pioneered in Chengdu—was also shared with the world through this global cultural exchange, offering valuable insights into the integrated development of grassroots governance, livelihood security, and human rights advancement. International guests expressed that they experienced both the warmth of China's community-level governance and the charm of its traditional culture during their time in the community.