I'm not sure I buy the "catering to Asian audiences" bit, cause honestly, this can be seen as tremendously stereotypical to that ethnicity.
Things like this tend to get away with it since it's a fantasy setting, I think. Usually fiction set in modern times or science fiction is more subject to accusations of stereotyping. Actually, I think this is more like an embracing of stereotypes, like the knight's chivalry code or the Bushido of the Samurai, so it's not really subject to that sort of criticism because it's being stereotypical on purpose.
The funny thing is that I'm pretty sure Pandarens did not have a Chinese-like culture when they were first introduced (As I recall, they had a Japanese-like culture), and
that was actually subjected to complaints because Pandas are seen as a Chinese symbol. Either way you'd get people complaining.
From what I heard, it has 6 leveling area on the new continent. The thing that bothers me is the whole thing is supposed to be about war and resources... but they are supposedly making another new neutral city. Makes no fucking sense at all.
I can see it making some sense since Pandarens apparently are joining the Alliance or Horde on an individual basis, so if there's some big Pandaren city it would be neutral as far as lore is concerned. I do think it'd be a lot more fun if you were allowed to kill people in neutral areas and gain the ire of guards, though, assuming they don't just make guards 10 levels above you and two-shotting you as soon as you engage any unlucky shmuck.
Of course, something like that would require the cities to be a lot larger than how they usually make them. For me, after playing DCUO it's going to take a lot for a city in an MMO to impress me with size or scale.
