A press conference announcing a giant panda tourism festival in the southwestern province was held at the starting station of Chengdu's subway Line 3 that launched panda-themed subway trains on Wednesday.

Giant panda toys were placed inside panda-themed subway trains to highlight the event. Subway trains themed on panda were put into use on the line in July 2016.

The 2018 China Sichuan Giant Panda International Eco-Tourism Festival or the 3rd Wenchuan (Wolong) Giant Panda Festival will be held on Sept 27 and 28 in Wenchuan which was rebuilt after heavily devastated in the earthquake in 2008.

During the festival, visitors will be treated to performances of Tibetan and Qiang ethnic groups, and panda-themed activities.