1,600 paper pandas displayed in front of Taipei City Hall Plaza, attracting over 270,000 visitors on the first day of 228 Holiday

▲The 1600 paper pandas exhibition is being held in front of Taipei City Hall Plaza starting February 28. (Photo provided by Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

On the first day of the 228 long weekend, Taipei City Hall Plaza was filled with large crowds—all here to “see the pandas”! Following last week’s four-day panda pop-up event, the “1600 Pandas World Tour – Taipei” started on February 28th in front of Taipei City Hall. The cute sight of the paper pandas, either sitting or standing, attracted nearly 270,000 visitors on the first day.

The paper panda exhibition has traveled to nearly 30 major cities across Europe since 2008. The number “1,600” represents the current global population of living pandas. The organizers hope this exhibition will raise awareness about wildlife conservation. Now, the panda army has officially arrived in Taiwan.

On the first day of the exhibition, the sun was shining brightly, and many people turned out early to witness the setup of the 1600 paper pandas. According to organizer statistics, by 6 p.m., over 270,000 visitors had come to see the display, including many from other cities and counties who took advantage of the holiday to visit Taipei.

%Sunny weather on the first day of the 228 long weekend drew many to Taipei City Hall Plaza to see the pandas. (Photo provided by Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism)

The Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism said that in addition to the 1600 pandas, the exhibition also features 10 types of endangered animal paper sculptures displayed intermittently alongside the pandas. These include the Formosan black bear, polar bear, Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin, fairy pitta, Formosan leopard cat, black rhinoceros, Asian elephant, Ryukyu tree frog, and the Formosan clouded leopard, which was declared extinct in April 2013. This serves as a reminder that besides pandas, many other endangered species urgently need our attention.

Additionally, because the paper pandas are very fragile, to reduce damage, the main exhibition area does not allow public touching. However, an “experience photo zone” is set up at the venue for close-up photos. The Department of Information and Tourism still urges the public to handle the pandas carefully to avoid breakage, as they are easily damaged.

The “1600 Pandas World Tour – Taipei” exhibition will be held in two phases: from now until March 9th at Taipei City Hall Plaza, and from March 14th to March 30th at the National Theater & Concert Hall Arts Plaza. The exhibition is open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. In coordination with the paper panda exhibition, traffic controls are in place around Taipei City Hall: from now until March 12th, New Ren’ai Road (City Hall Plaza) will have traffic restrictions between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. On holidays, restricted road sections include City Hall Road from midnight on now until March 2nd, and from 12 p.m. on March 8th to 4 p.m. on March 9th. Visitors are advised to use public transportation.