(East-West Question) Li Desheng: Why have giant pandas become the "best messengers" in Sino-foreign exchanges?
China News Agency, Chengdu, May 31, Question: Why have giant pandas become the "best messengers" in Sino-foreign exchanges?
——Interview with Li Desheng, Deputy Director of China Giant Panda Conservation and Research Center
China News Agency reporter He Shaoqing
In 1972, when the then US President Nixon visited China, the Chinese government presented two giant pandas to the US.
Two months later, the giant pandas "Lingling" and "Xingxing" arrived in Washington, and 8,000 Americans picked up the plane in the rain. The number of visitors exceeded one million in the first month.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the arrival of Chinese giant pandas in the United States.
Why have giant pandas become the "best messengers" in Sino-foreign exchanges?
What is the situation of giant pandas who are "envoys" abroad?
Over the years, what has been the history and achievements of the Sino-foreign exchanges and protection of giant pandas?
Li Desheng, deputy director of the China Giant Panda Conservation and Research Center, recently accepted an exclusive interview with China News Agency "Dongxiwen" to make an in-depth analysis of this.
The following is a summary of the interview transcript:
China News Agency reporter: Why did the giant pandas "Lingling" and "Xingxing" go to the United States? Which giant pandas came to the United States as friendship messengers after them?
Li Desheng:
After President Nixon's visit to China in 1972, China presented the giant pandas "Lingling" and "Xingxing" to the United States, which opened a new stage of Sino-foreign giant panda conservation and scientific research cooperation.
On April 16 of that year, the two giant pandas arrived at the Washington National Zoo in the United States and were warmly welcomed by the American people. People lined up in long queues just to see the giant pandas.
"Lingling" and "Xingxing" died one after another in the United States in the 1990s. They had bred offspring, but due to technical limitations at the time, the giant panda cubs did not survive.
Later, the Washington National Zoo once again applied to China for giant pandas to go to the United States. In 2000, the giant pandas "Mei Xiang" and "Tian Tian" traveled to the Washington National Zoo from Sichuan.
In January 2002, there was an endless stream of American people who went to the National Zoo in Washington to watch "Tian Tian" and "Meixiang".
Photo by China News Agency reporter Xu Dejin
At that time, Chinese giant panda experts also went there. In addition to taking care of giant pandas, they explored scientific research topics related to giant panda conservation with American experts.
"Meixiang" and "Tiantian" gave birth to a giant panda cub through artificial insemination in 2005, and named it "Taishan" after the head of China's Five Mountains.
As the first giant panda born and raised at the National Zoo in Washington, "Taishan" can be described as a "superstar" in the United States.
Its name attracted 220,000 Americans to vote and was regarded as "the most important resident of Washington".
According to the initial agreement between China and the United States, "Taishan" should be sent back to China when he was 2 years old.
However, at the strong request of the United States, China agreed to extend the "Taishan" stay in the United States by two years.
To celebrate, the then mayor of Washington even designated April 24 as the city's "Giant Panda Day."
When the extension ended in 2009, after repeated attempts by the American people, China extended the return date of "Taishan" for another half a year.
"Tarzan" who returned from the United States.
Photo by China News Agency reporter An Yuan
In 2010, "Taishan" returned to the China Giant Panda Conservation and Research Center, and American giant panda fans also organized a large-scale group of relatives and friends to make a special trip to China to see "Taishan" off.
After that, every year on the birthday of "Taishan", American fans came to Sichuan, or sent birthday wishes from the air.
On March 9, 2010, the giant panda "Tai Shan" moved into the Leopard Mountain Villa Area of Ya'an Bifengxia Base of Wolong China Giant Panda Research Center and began to meet the public.
Three "Taishan" die-hard fans from the United States, Britain and Malaysia came to Sichuan to help "Taishan" move to a new home.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Liu Zhongjun
China News Agency reporter: What scientific research cooperation has China and the United States carried out on giant panda conservation? What has been achieved?
Li Desheng:
After the birth of "Taishan", American experts conducted artificial insemination for "Meixiang" for five consecutive years from 2006 to 2010.
Since August 2012, the Washington National Zoo has sent more than ten batches of expert groups to the China Giant Panda Conservation and Research Center to learn lessons. At the same time, China has also sent experts to the United States for guidance and exchanges.
Through the joint efforts of Chinese and American experts, "Mei Xiang" conceived and gave birth to a healthy cub in 2013, and gave birth to another giant panda cub in 2020. At this time, "Mei Xiang" was 22 years old, equivalent to seventy or eighty human years old. .
The Washington National Zoo launched a voting naming event for this giant panda cub, which attracted more than 130,000 giant panda fans around the world to vote in 5 days. Among them, "Little Miracle" won the most votes, so this giant panda cub was called "Little Miracle". .
On April 16, 2022, the National Zoo in Washington held a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the arrival of giant pandas in the United States.
The picture shows the giant panda "Mei Xiang" (left) in the United States sharing a frozen fruit cake with the word "50" written on it with the cub "Little Miracle".
Photo by China News Agency reporter Chen Mengtong
At the San Diego Zoo in the United States, China and the United States have also carried out scientific research cooperation on giant pandas.
In September 1996, the male giant panda "Shi Shi" and the female giant panda "Bai Yun" from the China Giant Panda Conservation and Research Center flew to the San Diego Zoo in the United States.
In the spring of 1999, I went to the United States to participate in the breeding of giant pandas, and participated in the artificial breeding and pregnancy management of "Baiyun".
On August 21 of the same year, "Baiyun" gave birth to a giant panda cub named "Huami", which symbolizes the profound friendship between the Chinese and American people.
"Huami" is the first giant panda born in the United States and survived, and the first giant panda to return to China after being born abroad. Its symbolic meaning is extraordinary.
Now, after researchers have overcome the "three difficulties" of difficulty in breeding giant pandas in estrus, breeding and conception, and child-rearing and survival, the number of Chinese giant pandas living overseas has increased considerably.
After giving birth to Hua Mei, the giant panda "Bai Yun" gave birth to "Meisheng", "Su Lin", "Zhenzhen", "Yunzi" and "Little Gift", becoming a veritable heroic mother.
Among them, "Meisheng" is the first giant panda born in the United States through natural mating.
China News Agency reporter: What impact has the epidemic brought to overseas giant pandas and how to overcome them? What are the current plans for China's giant panda conservation research?
Li Desheng:
The main source of food for giant pandas is bamboo. Affected by the epidemic, some national zoos have encountered difficulties in supplying fresh bamboo. Therefore, the pandas "Da Mao" and "Er Shun" returned to China in advance.
The scientific research related work of giant pandas in the oestrus breeding period and the production and breeding period often needs to be completed by Chinese and foreign scientific research staff.
During the epidemic, the expert group of the China Giant Panda Conservation and Research Center solved related scientific research and technical problems through "cloud communication" and "cloud guidance".
In 2020, with the joint efforts of Chinese and American researchers, "Meixiang" successfully gave birth to a "little miracle" at the age of 22.
In 2021, when the first giant panda cub "Lè" born in Singapore was born, I led the team of experts on duty 24 hours a day and gave uninterrupted guidance.
With the joint efforts of Chinese and foreign experts, 2021 will be the year with the largest number of giant pandas giving birth overseas since the international cooperative research. Giant pandas living in Malaysia, Japan, France, Singapore and Spain have successfully given birth to 8 cubs. 69.
For decades, the breeding of captive giant pandas in China has achieved stable growth with high quality and good quality.
Up to now, the number of captive giant pandas in China has reached 673.
According to statistics, the captive population of giant pandas can maintain 90% of the genetic diversity for up to 200 years, and a healthy, dynamic and sustainable population has been basically formed. Phased achievements have been made in the introduction of species, and the global sharing of scientific research results of giant pandas has also been achieved.
On January 24, 2022, the giant panda cubs born in 2021 of the China Giant Panda Conservation and Research Center appeared at the Shenshuping Base in Wolong, Sichuan. The giant panda cubs played with the staff.
Photo by China News Agency reporter An Yuan
At present, China has established 67 giant panda nature reserves, forming a giant panda habitat protection network system. 53.8% of giant panda habitats and 66.8% of wild giant panda populations have been incorporated into nature reserves for effective protection.
At present, the construction of the Giant Panda National Park with a total area of 22,000 square kilometers is being actively promoted, which will further improve the connectivity and integrity of the giant panda habitat and provide a better habitat for the survival and reproduction of giant pandas.
While continuously strengthening wild protection, the China Giant Panda Conservation and Research Center started the research work on the wild reintroduction of captive giant pandas in 2003, and established a giant panda reintroduction and reintroduction technology system.
In 2017, the center launched a scientific research experiment on the introduction of captive giant pandas in the wild. So far, 5 litters and 8 cubs have been successfully born through wild introduction.
On December 27, 2018, the giant pandas "Qin Xin" and "Little Walnut" of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda were released into nature at the Longxi-Hongkou National Nature Reserve in Dujiangyan City.
Photo by China News Agency reporter An Yuan
In the future, Chinese giant panda experts will conduct more new explorations in species protection technology, and promote gene exchange between captive and wild populations.
China News Agency reporter: Why is the giant panda the best messenger of Sino-foreign exchanges? After the giant panda's protection level was downgraded to endangered, has China's protection of giant pandas changed?
Li Desheng:
The giant panda is cute, cute and naive. It is not only a national treasure of China, but also loved and welcomed by people all over the world. It is an ambassador and bridge of friendship between China and foreign countries, and promotes scientific research cooperation and cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries.
At present, 22 zoos in 18 countries have carried out cooperative research projects on giant panda conservation with China.
At the same time, the State Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Rare Animal Conservation Biology in the Giant Panda National Park has also established scientific research cooperative relations with dozens of domestic and foreign conservation research institutions and organizations.
As a flagship species in the field of wildlife conservation, giant pandas play an active role in advancing global biodiversity conservation.
WWF specifically needed a logo that would cross human language and cultural barriers, be recognizable and impressive.
Giant pandas are the obvious choice.
The giant pandas at the Dujiangyan Base of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda are adorable.
Photo by China News Agency reporter An Yuan
China has formulated and implemented a series of protection measures for giant pandas. The number of giant panda nature reserves has increased from 15 to 67, and the area of protected giant panda habitat has increased from 1.39 million hectares to 2.58 million hectares.
Surveys show that the wild population of giant pandas in China has grown from 1,114 in the 1970s and 1980s to 1,864.
The IUCN downgraded the giant panda from "endangered" to "vulnerable", which fully reflects the Chinese government's efforts and positive achievements in the protection of giant pandas, and also reflects the recognition of China's giant panda protection achievements by the international community.
Although the threat level has declined, the protection level of giant pandas as China's national first-class protected wild animals has not declined, and the protection of giant pandas has not declined, but has continued to strengthen.
(Finish)
Interviewee Profile:
Photo by China News Agency reporter An Yuan
Li Desheng, deputy director of the China Giant Panda Conservation and Research Center, has traveled to more than 10 countries including the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, and Japan to guide or participate in giant panda cooperation and exchanges. The scientific and technological projects such as the reintroduction of pandas into the wild, and the improvement of the giant panda disease prevention and rescue system have won more than 10 national and Provincial and ministerial awards and honors.