On April 1st, the launching ceremony of "I Love Giant Pandas" International Children's Postcard Painting Competition, one of the series events commemorating the 150th anniversary of the scientific discovery of giant pandas, was held at the Yazhou Cultural Square in the Panda Green Island Park in Ya'an, Sichuan. This contest is sponsored by China Post Group and organized by the Ya'an Municipal Government, China Post Advertising Co., Ltd. and Sichuan Branch of China Post Group.

This year marks the 150th anniversary of both the discovery of the giant panda and the issuance of the world's first prepaid postcard. Holding the launching ceremony of the contest in Ya’an, the place where the world's first giant panda was scientifically discovered and named, and the place where type specimens of giant pandas are produced, can not only promote panda culture and deepen cultural exchanges, but also effectively spread the concept of ecological conservation.

The contest invites children from all over the world to enter their paintings of giant pandas for competition, for the purpose of commemorating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and the 150th anniversary of the scientific discovery of giant pandas.

Through this event, children will be able to observe and get to know giant pandas on the scene, and learn about the cultural tradition of postcards, which will have a profound impact on the children involved. The children may register the knowledge of the traditional art and culture as well as the knowledge of nature in their innocent and pure mind, and cleverly merge the design of postcards and the image of giant pandas together with their brushes and colors. Their final works may then be exhibited to the audience worldwide through the big platform of China Post. Thus, the event will not only help adhere to and carry forward the Chinese cultural tradition, but also help the innovation of cultural concepts. Eventually, it may generate far-reaching significance for the future development of traditional Chinese culture. As far as the participating children are concerned, through this event they can improve their understanding of Chinese culture, deepen their sense of affinity for China, and foster the correct values of loving nature and cherishing life.

Children who want to enter this competition shall submit their paintings from April 1 to July 31, 2019. In August 2019, experts will select 200 pieces of works each from the children group and the teenager group for a short list, out of which golden, silver and bronze prizes as well as excellent awards will be chosen. The award ceremony and an exhibition of the outstanding works will be held on October 1, 2019.

Entries can be submitted through the official website of the contest (http://cpac.triassictec.com/), or through the WeChat public account: www_cpac_com_cn, or through "I Love Giant Pandas" International Competition Area of the WeChat public account: weyoutong.