Guanba, ChinaDriving along a misty road last year, hemmed in by a steep forested ravine, I’m startled to see a 10-foot-tall cartoon panda mural suddenly loom ahead, resembling a scene from the film Kung Fu Panda. Nearby, a spotless concrete walkway leads to a new community center in the heart of China’s new Giant Panda National Park.
The two-story center’s glossy wood and bright stone facade contrast with Guanba’s aging houses, topped with mossy roof tiles. Inside, a miniature nature museum and library show off the region’s natural heritage—particularly its star attraction, the giant panda.
Such tourism infrastructure is popping up among the high-elevation bamboo forests of Sichuan Province, where the new panda park is scheduled for completion by year’s end.
