In 2020, the COVID-19 outbreak brought the world to a halt. This also raised concerns about the safety of giant pandas among animal lovers all over the world. In April, Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding launched a global collection of giant panda art works based on the theme of "Fighting The Epidemic”. The public was invited to create works of art that incorporated giant pandas to narrate the story of "Fighting The Epidemic". On May 18, Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding launched "Our agreement — Exhibition of excellent works of art collection activities of giant panda under the theme of fighting the epidemic'".

Bright Future with Panda, The Republic of Korea, Seungkyung Kwon

During the one month draft period, the organizer received more than 220 contributions from 13 countries and regions including China, Canada, Britain, Indonesia and Vietnam. The works ranged from embroidery and oil paintings, to photography, comics, installation art and several other art forms.

Pay Attention to Health, Vietnam, Zhang Mingxian

Zhang Mingxian from Vietnam was the first foreigner to submit his contribution. In the package mailed to the organizer along with his work titled ‘Pay attention to health’, there was a very neat letter he had penned down in Chinese. He said in the letter: "After the outbreak of COVID-19, I felt uneasy and even scared. Some Chinese friends cheered me up with thoughts of pandas. In the virtual company of pandas, I found a sense of peace and security in the vast emptiness of this life.”

Panda through the looking glass, Turkey,?rem Akku?z

We can do it together, Romania, Alexandra Serbanescu

Amanda from Indonesia created a work titled "Happy", which depicts a giant panda family sitting together eating bamboo. Her work brief was: During the epidemic, my parents' shop had no customers, we ate food we had stored, but we were happy to be together as a family.

Hope, Malaysia, Lucy Liew

Solitude, Britain, Jennifer Willcock

The exhibition also received seven works by members of Sichuan medical team that supported Wuhan or their relatives. Ma Huan, a medical team member of the 416 hospital, drew a panda sleeping on a wooden shelf. When asked about her creative ideas, she said with a smile, "I didn't think so much, I just wanted to relax. My mood had been tense, and I envied the panda for sleeping peacefully."

Ma Huan, physician at 416 hospital

When the world presses the pause key, China, Yang Ke

"As the theme of this year's International Museum Day is ‘Diversity and Inclusiveness’, our exhibition is meant to tell people suffering under the pandemic that no one is alone, we are all on the same boat,” said the office of Panda International Art Center. （By Edina Liang）