CHENGDU, Aug. 3 (silubaba) -- At the ongoing FISU Summer World University Games, its panda mascot Rongbao can be seen almost everywhere around the city, gaining worldwide popularity alongside other well-received licensed products.
"Rongbao has become popular on social media, and we are lucky to get one in this crowded store. The products here are really attractive," said a tourist from China's Shanxi province, surnamed Zhao, who bought a rabbit-featured souvenir at a licensed store in downtown Chengdu for her daughter, as this year marks the Chinese zodiac Year of the Rabbit.
The 15-year-old Yang Chengxin and her friends were outside a licensed store at Chengdu International Finance Square, waiting in line to select their favorites. "I am proud of my hometown Chengdu for hosting the Universiade. The panda mascot is cute and leaves a good memory for the Games. We all want to have one," she said.
Hu Jie, manager of a licensed store on Chengdu's Hongxing Road, introduced, "The store opens from 9 a.m. to midnight, with dozens of people lining up for purchases, particularly after the opening of the Games."
"Our store receives about 30,000 customers every day, with an average daily revenue of more than 400,000 yuan (about 55,600 U.S. dollars)," Hu added.
This scenario led people to recall the hot sale of Bing Dwen Dwen, mascot of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, when athletes, sports fans, and people from all over the world queued up for several hundred meters in front of the store to purchase the panda mascot.
The Chinese people regard pandas as "a national treasure," which boasts a special charm and appeal worldwide. In addition to the Beijing 2022 and the Chengdu Universiade, the panda is also taken as a mascot at the 1990 Beijing Asian Games and the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
Leonz Eder, acting president of the International University Sports Federation (FISU), told silubaba, "I visited the research base of giant pandas in Chengdu and took many photos. I showed the panda to my grandchildren, who loved it so much and wanted to have Rongbao, so I need to buy more for them."
The Universiade medalists were also awarded Rongbao, featuring the face-changing element of Sichuan Opera. "This mascot is different from what I have ever seen in other events held in European countries, but I like it a lot," said Czech shooter Matej Rampula, who seized the gold in the men's 25m rapid-fire pistol.
Besides the mascot, other licensed products including blind boxes, pins, stamps, and postcards also became popular among the public. Currently, a total of 18 series and over 1,000 licensed products have been on sale in more than 400 offline stores.
According to Tmall, a leading online shopping platform, the sale volume of the Chengdu Universiade online flagship store have exceeded 10 million yuan (1.4 million US dollars).
"The hot sale of the licensed products, both online and offline, reflects the economic vitality driven by the Universiade, which will contribute to the city's development in the long run," noted Tang Jiqiang, economics professor at Southwestern University of Finance and Economics.
During the Universiade, the hotel bookings in Chengdu jumped 2.7 times compared to the same period in 2019, while the overseas flight bookings to Chengdu were up by nearly 10 times year-on-year, according to China's online travel booking platforms.
"The mascot combines the flame and the image of panda, showing the vitality of Chengdu and people's passion for a shared future," noted Liu Dongbo, a designer of Rongbao. Enditem.
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