China's President Xi presented with lavender bear as he arrives in Tasmania

Nov 18, 2014 • 0 min read

Bridestowe lavender farm, Tasmania. Image by littleyiye / CC BY 2.0

A popular Bobbie Bear from the Bridestowe Estate lavender farm in Tasmania’s northeast was presented to China's President Xi on his arrival in Hobart on Tuesday. The bear has become hugely popular in China after a photo of a Chinese model hugging a Bobbie Bear went viral earlier this year. The lavender farm is now well and truly on the tourism map for visitors from China, and it can barely keep up with the production demand for the bears. Read more: abc.net.au