China will create a bastion for giant pandas three times the size of Yellowstone National Park to link up and encourage breeding among existing wild populations of the notoriously slow-reproducing animal, state media reported Thursday.

At least 10 billion yuan ($1.6 billion) has been secured over the next five years for construction of the Giant Panda National Park in mountainous southwestern China for the nation's favourite creature, the China Daily reported.

Plans for the park — which would cover 27,134 square kilometres (10,476 square miles) — were first put forward early last year by the ruling Communist Party and the State Council, China's cabinet, the paper said.

Yellowstone, established in 1872 as the first US national park, spans 8,983 square kilometres.

The Chinese park plans are aimed at enabling wild pandas that are currently isolated in several different areas of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces to mingle and hopefully breed.

Giant pandas have a notoriously low reproductive rate, a key factor — along with habitat loss — in their status as "vulnerable" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of threatened species.

More than 80 percent of the world's wild pandas live in Sichuan, with the rest in Shaanxi and Gansu.

The funding was secured via an agreement signed Tuesday by the Bank of China and the Sichuan provincial Department of Forestry, the paper said.

The bank is to secure the financing by 2023, to go toward poverty alleviation among people living in the remote area and necessary infrastructure and other construction for the park.

Chinese photographer undeterred by rooftopper's death
Chengdu, China (AFP) March 8, 2018 –

Yan Lei stands near the edge of a skyscraper as his camera pans out to capture a southwestern Chinese city's landscape — an activity he won't stop despite the recent fatal fall of a more daring "rooftopper".

The illicit journey above Chengdu saw him race up the building's stairwell armed with a torch, finally reaching a ladder to take him to his stunning lookout.

In seven years, he has taken countless photos of Chinese cities like this one, often at night.

"At first it was easy, there weren't many of us. But with digital SLR cameras being affordable now in China it has become more difficult. Everyone has the equipment," he said.

"Now you have to know someone who can help you get in (to the buildings)."

The pursuit of the perfect photo became even more complicated at the end of 2017 when a young Chinese "rooftopper" fell, plunging 62 storeys to his death.

Climber Wu Yongning, a social media star, regularly posted videos or selfies of himself dangling from skyscrapers, without any safety equipment.

During his final performance, which he filmed on his mobile phone, the daredevil can be seen doing pull-ups on the edge of a building, before he runs out of strength and finally lets go.

"This incident had a big impact on us because unfortunately many people confused us with them," said Yan, who said he was "totally opposed" to extreme stunts.

"We are trying to record the change happening in developing cities. They, on the other hand, are doing spectacular and dangerous stunts. Because of them, many places are now reluctant to let us photograph," he said.

But Yan still continues to indulge his passion for capturing cityscapes, particularly in Shanghai, his favourite of all of China's metropolises.

With a population of 20 million, the eastern city boasts countless skyscrapers, giant luminous signs and an urban landscape of steel and glass.

"But safety will always be my first concern," he said.