Chengdu set to burnish its panda capital brand

Companies solicited worldwide to submit plans for development

Chengdu, Sichuan province, home to nearly 200 captive pandas at its Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, plans to expand its brand as the world's panda capital, aiming to attract 10 million Chinese and foreign visitors a year.

According to the Chengdu government, the expansion will involve development in three parts of the city. With a total area of about 69 square kilometers, it will include Beihu in the north, covering about 35 sq km; Dujiangyan in the west, covering about 23 sq km; and the Longquan Mountains in the east, covering about 11 sq km.