Chengdu IFS (climbing panda)

A shopping and office complex in central Chengdu, famous for the 15 m giant panda climbing over its rooftop parapet.

What makes it famous is a giant panda, 15 meters tall, that seems to be climbing up the front of the building. The sculpture is called I Am Here and was made by the artist Lawrence Argent. Pandas come from Sichuan, the province where Chengdu is the capital, so the panda has become a friendly symbol of the city.

The climbing panda

The panda's body hangs on the building's outside wall, while its head is visible from a terrace on an upper level, as if it were pulling itself up to look at the street below.

People now often use the panda as the picture of modern Chengdu. It stands out because it turns a plain building into something playful, and visitors love taking photos of it.

Chunxi Road next door

Chunxi Road was set up in 1924 to link two main shopping areas of old Chengdu. Its name comes from a chapter of an ancient Chinese book, the Tao Te Ching, and suggests springtime and busy, happy crowds.

The main pedestrian routes today add up to about 1.8 kilometers. In the 2010s the area grew with new places such as Chengdu IFS and Taikoo Li Chengdu, which opened in April 2015 around an old temple. In 2022 Chunxi Road was named one of China's first National Tourism and Leisure Blocks.

On the globe

The model shows the Chengdu IFS buildings with the giant panda climbing over the roof parapet.