US zoo welcomes Chinese panda couple
US zoo holds first panda welcome ceremony in 21 years from China, attended by officials and residents.
The San Diego Zoo, California, US, on August 8 held a welcoming ceremony for the pandas Yun Chuan and Xin Bao sent from Sichuan, China, with the participation of US officials and a large number of residents. The ceremony also included traditional Chinese dance performances.
California Governor Gavin Newsom declared August 8 as “Panda Day” in the state. “Welcoming these beautiful pandas has a much deeper meaning. It is to honor our human values, to honor the things that bind us together,” Mr. Newsom said.
San Diego Zoo staff described Yun Chuan as a “gentle and lovable” male panda. The animal was named after his grandmother Bai Yun, one of the first two pandas loaned to San Diego by China.
Xin Bao, a three-year-old female, was described as “introverted and gentle”. Her name means “new treasure of prosperity and abundance”.
“We hope she will bring good luck to California, to San Diego,” said China’s ambassador to the US, Xie Feng.
Many excited children wore panda hats to greet Yun Chuan and Xin Bao. “My children only want to see two things in America: killer whales and pandas. They are very impressive,” said Swiss tourist Guillaume Courcoux.
In recent years, pandas loaned to the US from zoos in Washington, Atlanta and Memphis have all been returned after the loan agreements were not renewed.
At a summit between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping in November 2023, Xi announced that he would continue to loan pandas to the US.
In addition to the San Diego Zoo, Washington and San Francisco are also expected to welcome Chinese pandas in 2025.
China began its “panda diplomacy” program in 1972, when the first pair of pandas were sent to the US after former President Richard Nixon’s historic visit to Beijing. Beijing considers pandas “diplomatic emissaries” and regularly gifts or lends them to countries as a way to strengthen bilateral relations.
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