Why are these young people so keen on seeing giant pandas?
At 6 a.m., dozens of people lined up outside the gate of the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Sichuan. They were waiting along the fence to enter. At this time, there was still an hour and a half before the park opened. Tourists at the front of the queue told reporters from China Youth Daily and China Youth Daily that queuing up at the entrance of the park around 6 a.m. can basically be the first to see "Huahua" (the nickname of the giant panda "Hehua" - reporter's note).
With their naive image and status as a rare species, giant pandas have attracted a large number of tourists, and seeing pandas has become an important purpose for many tourists. "Huahua" in Chengdu, "Menglan" in Beijing, "Yuke" and "Yuai" in Chongqing... these names will become popular in 2023.
Regardless of working days and holidays, the juvenile giant panda villa park where "Huahua" lives is always crowded with people, with people waiting in line from inside the park to outside the gate.
By 7:40, the reporter found that the queue to watch "Huahua" had already lined up 500 meters away. There is a sign standing on the left side of the reporter, which reminds: It will take more than two hours to queue here to see "Huahua".
Waiting in line for two hours and watching "Hua Hua" for three minutes
If you want to see "Huahua", you need to be able to withstand the "ultra-long standby" of queuing for several hours and the God-given luck that it happens to be "open" when you queue. In order to give tourists a chance to see "Huahua", the park has taken measures to limit the number of visitors. Therefore, many netizens jokingly said: "Quine for two hours and watch 'Huahua' for three minutes."
On July 4, 2022, Li Meng accidentally came across a birthday video of the two sisters "Hehua" and "Heye" on the short video platform. "I used to think that pandas all look the same, but Huahua is very recognizable and is different from the pandas in my memory." After watching it once, Li Meng watched it nearly 10 times. Two months later, she came to the "Huahua" park for an on-site visit. She remembers that there were relatively few people in the park that year, "basically about 20 people, and most of the time they were standing in 2-3 rows, which was relatively quiet." It really became popular in February 2023. "Maybe the epidemic has lasted for more than two years, which has made everyone depressed. After the epidemic is over, they want to get closer to nature and animals."
Later, Li Meng became the host of "Chaohua" on "Huahua" Weibo. She basically goes to see "Huahua" three times a week and posts the videos and photos of "Huahua" on her Internet account. "On the one hand, I can let more concerned netizens know about the situation of giant pandas. On the other hand, I have also become a bridge between panda fans and the base." If fans have any suggestions or opinions that need to be passed on, Li Meng can inform the breeders offline. or staff, let them make further judgment.
Li Meng admitted that after becoming a fan of "Huahua", apart from working and sleeping, she basically stayed at the base or followed "Huahua". "But I feel very fulfilled." Watching pandas relaxes Li Meng, and she never tires of it.
During offline visits, Li Meng often saw uncivilized phenomena, such as yelling, throwing food, and even bringing dogs to visit. "Pandas have very sensitive senses of hearing and smell, and the food they eat is specially supplied after quality inspection. The bacteria carried by dogs may cause pandas to be infected with canine distemper, a fatal disease. This is true for giant pandas in the Qinling Mountains. There is a precedent." When Li Meng followed "Huahua"'s Weibo "Chaohua", it had only 50,000 followers, but now its followers have grown to more than 800,000. “I just want to use this platform to pass on some popular science about civilized visits, as well as popular knowledge about giant panda groups, so that everyone can like giant pandas more,” she said.
"Giant pandas bring me healing and happiness"
Shuai Wanjun, 32, whose WeChat name and avatar are both giant pandas, has a display cabinet on the left hand side of her bedroom door filled with giant panda dolls and other peripheral products. When she goes to work every day, she carries a canvas bag with the "Huahua" badge on her back. Even if she changes it every day, the bag will not be the same every half a month.
In 2021, as a medical staff, Shuai Wanjun felt unprecedented work pressure. She often couldn't sleep well. At three or four o'clock in the morning, her spirits began to get high, which was accompanied by palpitations, anxiety, headaches, and it was difficult to fall asleep. After going to the hospital for a check-up, Shuai Wanjun discovered that he was suffering from moderate anxiety and mild depression.
Shuai Wanjun also learned about the giant panda community through short videos. "I saw three little ones, 'Hehua' and 'Ye' and 'Runyue' sitting together eating bamboo shoots. Every time 'Huahua' managed to peel the bamboo shoots, they would be snatched away. I thought it was very funny." she began. Shuai Wanjun often searches the Internet for clips of pandas getting along with each other. In them, Shuai Wanjun sees many "qualities worthy of human learning."
She took "Huahua" as an example, "It will not get angry or get in trouble with me because it is being eaten. It will not fight or snatch. It always feels that there will be another bamboo shoot to eat, and it is very good at controlling the rhythm of life." Shuai Wanjun also said I was touched by the strength of "Huahua". Due to the congenital right foot valgus, climbing trees is a relatively difficult task for "Huahua", but she does not give up and works hard every time she climbs the wooden frame and bed. "I should also learn from its unyielding spirit and perseverance, and never give in to the setbacks in life."
Qin You has the same feeling as Shuai Wanjun. Her favorite giant panda is "Fu Shuang" from the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Base. When she saw it, she could stand there for two hours in a row. In her opinion, "Fu Shuang" is a particularly low-key giant panda who never takes the initiative to provoke his companions. "One time, 'Chongyang' teased 'Fu Shuang' with its paws. 'Fu Shuang' ignored it, but finally got angry and 'Fu Shuang' beat it from head to tail. The relationship between animals and people The way to get along is very similar, I will not offend others unless they offend me, but if they offend me, I will offend them."
During his vacation, Shuai Wanjun likes to go to zoos to see pandas. In the past two years, she has been to Sichuan Wolong Chinese Giant Panda Garden Shenshuping Base, Dujiangyan Panda Valley and Panda Paradise, Guangzhou Chimelong Wildlife World and other zoos. "Every time I see a panda, I laugh. Before going to bed at night, I watch videos of giant pandas. Sometimes I fall asleep while watching them. Giant pandas are really beautiful animals. My biggest dream in life is to watch them. There are giant pandas all over the country," Shuai Wanjun said. In 2023, her insomnia also improved.
"Giant pandas can make me feel healing and happy in my busy life," Qin You said. Seeing their carefree appearance, she forgot about the hustle and bustle of the city and began to enjoy nature.
After Li Meng became the host of "Super Talk", he received many submissions from people, and they were also "healed" by the giant panda video. One fan's contribution impressed her. Fans who had one breast removed due to breast cancer suffered from depression and were unwilling to go out due to low self-esteem. After accidentally seeing a video of "Hua Hua", she was moved by this strong giant panda. "Huahua is not as powerful as other pandas, and he is not good at climbing trees. Even if he was injured, he did not give up. I can start over."
In order to realize the freedom to see giant pandas, she settled in Chengdu
At the beginning of 2021, Qin You traveled to Chengdu for the first time with a tour group. At the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base, she "didn't see enough giant pandas" due to the tour guide's repeated urging. When she was about to graduate from graduate school, she began to pay attention to job opportunities in Chengdu. "When I come to Chengdu, I can see giant pandas freely." After that, she went to see giant pandas every once in a while. She stayed at the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Base all day long, entering at 8 a.m. and leaving at 6 p.m.
When it comes to pandas, Qin You can't stop talking. my country launched captive giant panda rewilding training and reintroduction research in 2003. Many giant pandas have participated in rewilding training; "Fu Shuang" is a giant panda exchanged between Hua Hua's eldest brother "Gong Zai" and the Beijing Zoo. The daughter of "Fu Lu", her uncle is the Internet celebrity panda "Pang Dahai"; "Mang Xingxing" and "Mang Chenchen" are the twin sons of the giant panda "Mang Zai"; "Liang Yue" and "Yu Bao" "Yu" "Bei" is an aunt and nephew who grew up together...
Every time he sees giant pandas, Qin You will carefully study the identity information on the introduction card. After returning home, he will check the information to find out the genetic relationship between the giant pandas. "After knowing their origins, I will compare their genetic characteristics, so it will be more fun to see pandas."
Qin You feels that every panda has its own characteristics, and she can recognize almost all the pandas she has seen. "The width of the black shoulder straps, the shape of the ears, the points on the nose, the distance between the eyes, and the shape of the eye circles are different for each giant panda." The discovery of these relies on her long-term and meticulous observation of giant panda groups.
"Giant pandas are most active around 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.; from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., most pandas are sleeping; at about 1 p.m., keepers will give them extra meals, and after 4 p.m., they will They can sleep." Qin You has summarized the activity patterns of giant pandas and visits them whenever he has time, for fear of missing their growth.
In the past year, every time Qin You came to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, he would see huge crowds of tourists gathered around the baby giant panda villa, wanting to catch a glimpse of the top-notch "female stars" and "Hua Hua". "With so many people moving around every day, the smell is likely to affect 'Wahua' and 'Heye'. For a while, I saw 'Wahua' hiding in the woods and not coming out at all."
"If tourists come to the zoo because they like giant pandas, I hope everyone can divert their attention and pay attention to more giant pandas." Qin You said that every giant panda is cute and healing.
"Giant pandas have lived on the earth for at least 8 million years, longer than us humans. If we protect the environment in a way that is conducive to their survival, it will also be conducive to our survival." Qin You hopes that everyone can pass the giant panda See more animal groups, protect the environment around us, and protect the home we rely on for survival.
(At the request of the interviewee, Li Meng and Qin You are pseudonyms in the article)
China Youth Daily·China Youth Daily trainee reporter Chen Xiao reporter Qi Zheng Source: China Youth Daily