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A mailbox in the shape of a panda greets visitors in the Panda Post in Chengdu, Sichuan province. [Photo by Huang Zhiling/chinadaily.com.cn]

Visitors to the Panda Post in downtown Chengdu, Sichuan province, have a pleasant surprise when they see a cute panda racing with a postal packet.

The panda is a mailbox in Chengdu's first post office featuring the giant panda, one of the world's most endangered animal species.

The Panda Post, which debuted on Shaocheng Road on Wednesday, is unlike ordinary post offices because images of the giant panda are ubiquitous. They are on stamps, postcards and souvenirs.

"The Panda Post is so special that I dropped in, bought a postcard and had it sent to my father in Jincheng, Shanxi province," said Zhang Wen, a college student.

A post office employee stamped a date mark in the pattern of the giant panda and the words Chengdu Post on Zhang's postcard.

Home to 128 captive pandas at its panda base, Chengdu is a must-see destination for animal lovers worldwide.

To make the city known to more outsiders through the giant panda, the Chengdu Post Office launched the first Panda Post after almost a year of preparations, said Luo Cheng, chief of the Chengdu Post Office.

An additional five post offices featuring the giant panda will be launched in the city's landmarks this year.

They will be located in the Shuangliu International Airport, Sichuan University, Jinli, the corner of Kuan and Zhai Alleys and Huanglongxi, said Peng Yu, deputy chief of the Chengdu Post Office.