50 Years Of Giant Pandas’Presence InUs Celebrated

王静静

The Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington kicked off asix- month celebration on Wednesday of the 50th anniversary ofthe arrival of two giant pandas，celebrating the close cooperationbetween China and the United States in panda exchanges andpreservation.

The first pandas from China in the US—Ling Ling and HsingHsing—arrived at the Smithsonian National Zoo and ConservationBiology Institute on April 16，1972.

“We are going to have six months of celebrations both onlineand at the zoo. People can come to see the cubs and the mom anddad，”Brandie Smith，director of the national zoo，told ChinaDaily.

Annalisa Meyer，the zoo’s deputy director of communications，said the celebrations will run through Aug 27. The zoo will holdonline events，as well as on-site events on April 8 and 21.

Smith said one of the highlights will be a“screening of thefilm，The Miracle Panda，which is our story of the giant pandasat the national zoo. And we also are going to have an event withthe Chinese embassy. The embassy is going to come and providetreats for people as they see the pandas.”

The documentary The Miracle Panda，by the SmithsonianChannel，will be screened for a limited time at the zoo’s VisitorCenter Theater on April 16 and 17.

Also on April 16，from 9 am to 2 pm，visitors can enjoylion dance performances， panda- shaped Bao buns andcalligraphy demonstrations. They also can speak with the zoo’sscientists who study giant panda biology and ecology，andthey can watch the pandas receive special treats.

The Giant Panda Family Tree Photo Gallery in theoutdoor giant panda exhibit has already been set up，allowingvisitors to explore the zoo’s successful giant panda breedingprogram and to follow how cubs born at the zoo contribute totheir species’survival in China.

In 1972，then-US president Richard Nixon and first ladyPat Nixon made a historic visit to China. The first lady went tothe Beijing Zoo to visit pandas on their second day in China.

At a dinner before they left China，Premier Zhou Enlaitold Pat Nixon that China would present the US with twopandas，which surprised and delighted her.

The two pandas，Ling Ling and Hsing Hsing，lived at thenational zoo for more than 20 years. Their arrival not onlybrought warmth and joy to tens of millions of Americans butalso launched the US-China giant panda program.

Now the panda couple，Mei Xiang and Tian Tian，andtheir cub Xiao Qi Ji（“little miracle”），born in August 2020，live at the national zoo.

Mei Xiang and Tian Tian’s other three cubs，Tai Shan，born in 2005;Bao Bao，born in 2013;and Bei Bei，born in2015，were returned to China.

Smith recalled that the males，Bei Bei and Xiao Qi Ji are“more outgoing”than their brother Tai Shan.

“I met these pandas;I know them so well，I rememberthe moments all of the cubs were born here. And one thing isthat we know when they are born that they’re going to go toChina to be part of the group breeding program，”she said.

“So it’s almost like any baby. When any baby grows up，you don’t want them to stay with you if you want them to goout and to succeed，and so our cubs will go to China，and theywill have their cubs and help contribute to the conservation of thespecies.”

Smith said she has been impressed by the cooperation withthe zoo staff’s counterparts in China.

“I have really loved working with the giant pandas. They’reincredible animals to work with and get to know them as aspecies. But also，one of my favorite parts is it’s not just aboutworking with these animals. It has been about working withcolleagues in China，”she said.

“So working with our scientists and other contributors inChina to share knowledge about pandas，their habitat and theirculture has really been an incredible experience for me.”

The COVID- 19 pandemic has created obstacles for inpersoncommunications.

“Normally we go to China several times a year，and ourcolleagues are trying to come here to visit us. With thepandemic，it’s been hard because we haven’t been able to seeeach other in person，but the good thing is that we still haveemails，video calls and other ways to communicate，”Smith said.

“And from my perspective，it has been as good as it alwaysis. Because we’ve had such a good relationship over so manyyears，we respond to each other so well.”

She said she hoped the program“could last for at leastanother 50 years”.

During the interview with Smith，Mei Xiang and Xiao Qi Jifrolicked in an outdoor field of the panda house，while Tian Tianleisurely chewed on bamboo in another field as visitors streamedin to observe the pandas.

Brooklyn，a 3- year- old girl，told China Daily that shewanted“more panda mommies and panda babies”to come to thezoo.

Sue，62，who was on her annual family vacation，had justvisited the pandas at Zoo Atlanta and was now seeing the pandasinWashington.

為庆祝两只大熊猫抵美50 周年及中美两国在大熊猫交流和保护方面的密切合作，华盛顿史密森尼国家动物园于3 月16 日启动为期六个月的庆祝活动。

1972 年4 月16 日，第一批中国大熊猫玲玲和兴兴来到美国史密森尼国家动物园和保护生物研究所。

该动物园园长布兰迪·史密斯在接受《中国日报》采访时称：“我们将在网上和动物园举行为期六个月的庆祝活动。游客们可以观看大熊猫幼崽和它们的爸爸妈妈。”

动物园公关副总监安娜莉莎·迈耶称，庆祝活动将持续到8 月27 日。动物园将在4 月8 日和21 日举办线上和线下活动。

史密斯透露，活动的一个亮点是“放映电影《奇迹熊猫》，这部电影讲述的是史密森尼国家动物园里大熊猫的故事。我们还将与中国大使馆一起举办活动，大使馆工作人员会来动物园并给参观大熊猫的游客提供（给熊猫享用）的‘零食’。”

史密森尼频道纪录片《奇迹熊猫》将于4 月16 日和17 日在动物园游客中心剧院限时放映。

4 月16 日上午9 点至下午2 点，游客们还可以观看舞狮表演、书法表演，品尝大熊猫面点。他们还可以与研究大熊猫生物学和生态学的动物园科学家交谈，并观看大熊猫享用“零食”的过程。

户外大熊猫展的大熊猫家谱影廊已经建成，游客可以了解史密森尼国家动物园成功的大熊猫繁育项目，以及在该动物园出生的幼崽如何为大熊猫在中国的物种繁衍做出贡献。

1972 年，时任美国总统理查德·尼克松和第一夫人帕特·尼克松对中国进行了历史性访问。第一夫人抵达中国的第二天到北京动物园参观大熊猫。

在尼克松夫妇离开中国前的一次晚宴上，周恩来总理告诉帕特·尼克松，中国将向美国赠送两只熊猫，这让她既惊讶又高兴。

这两只熊猫玲玲和兴兴在史密森尼国家动物园生活了20 多年。它们的到来不仅给数千万美国人带来温暖和欢乐，还开启了中美大熊猫项目。

现在，熊猫夫妇美香和添添，以及它们的幼崽——2020 年8 月出生的小奇迹居住在动物园里。

美香和添添的另外三只幼崽2005 年出生的泰山、2013 年出生的宝宝和2015 年出生的贝贝被送回中国。

史密斯回忆，雄性大熊猫贝贝和小奇迹比它们的兄弟泰山“更外向”。

她说：“我与这些大熊猫相遇，我非常了解它们，我记得所有熊猫幼崽在这里降生的时刻。我们知道它们出生后，将前往中国，成为群体繁殖项目的一部分。”

“所以就像小宝宝一样。当他们长大后，94 如果你想让他们走出去并取得成功，就不能让他们留在你身边，因此我们的熊猫幼崽将前往中国，它们将繁育自己的幼崽，并帮助保护这个物种。”

史密斯说，与中国动物园工作人员的合作给她留下了深刻印象。

“我真的很喜欢与大熊猫一起工作。可以与它们工作，并了解这个物种实在太棒了。但我最喜欢的不仅仅是与大熊猫一起工作，还有与中国同事共事。”

“与中国的科学家和其他相关人员合作，分享大熊猫栖息地、大熊猫文化等相关知识，对我来说真是一次不可思议的经历。”

新冠疫情为人员交流往来带来了障碍。

史密斯说：“通常我们一年要去中国好几次，中国同事们试着来美国探望我们。疫情防控期间，這很难，我们还不能见面，但还好我们仍然有电子邮件、视频电话和其他沟通方式。”

“我认为这个项目一直都很棒。因为多年来我们一直保持着良好的关系，我们配合得很好。”

史密斯希望该项目“至少还能持续50年”。

在采访史密斯的过程中，美香和小奇迹在熊猫馆的一块户外场地上嬉戏，而添添则在另一边悠闲地嚼着竹子，游客蜂拥而至围观它们。

3 岁的小女孩布鲁克林告诉《中国日报》，她希望“更多的大熊猫妈妈和宝宝”来动物园。

62 岁的苏女士正在享受一年一度的家庭假期，她刚刚在亚特兰大动物园参观了大熊猫，现在又来到华盛顿看大熊猫。