Hello! Welcome to this edition of CBN Friday Special. I’m Stephanie Li.
Large heads, dark circles around the eyes, no neck, a pear-shaped body, fat legs, a bulging tummy and short arms.
Giant panda, the iconic black-and-white animal whose natural habitat restricted entirely to China today, is often dubbed a "national treasure” and undoubtedly one of the world's best-loved animals.
Xiang Xiang, the first giant panda naturally bred and raised at Tokyo's Ueno Zoological Gardens in Japan, was finally flown home to China. The 5-year-old female finally departed for China on Tuesday after postponed multiple times due to her huge popularity and the COVID-19 pandemic. Her parents were loaned to Tokyo for breeding research under a deal that the offspring would belong to China.
Japanese panda fans bid teary farewells to their idol, with hundreds of people waited outside the zoo took photos, wiped tears with handkerchiefs and waved at a white truck carrying Xiang Xiang as it slowly drove past them on its way to the airport. Others trooped to Narita International Airport to wave their last goodbyes as a plane carrying Xiang Xiang took off.
“The family of pandas in Japan has brought people infinite joy and left them with fond memories," a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Japan said on Tuesday, adding that giant pandas, a national treasure in China, had carried friendship and goodwill to the broader Japanese society.
The last public viewing of Xiang Xiang on Sunday was limited to 2,600 lucky ones who won their tickets in an extremely competitive lottery of more than half a million applicants. Her "true love fans" had queued up for hours to win the lottery.
In the queue waiting to buy the commemorative stamps, some people wore masks with giant panda pictures, some were carrying bags with giant panda patterns, some were covered in panda accessories, and some were holding giant panda dolls in their arms. Whether it was a gray-haired man or a babbling kid, they expressed love for giant pandas in their own way.
Why has Xiang Xiang become such a superstar in Japan?
On Oct. 28, 1972, a pair of giant pandas, Kang Kang and his partner Lan Lan, arrived at Ueno Zoo as a gift from China to commemorate the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries, sparking an unprecedented panda craze in Japan.
The annual number of visitors to the zoo, which stood at around 4 million before the giant pandas' arrival, soared to a record high of 9.2 million in 1973.
Despite strained political ties between Japan and China in recent years, pandas have connected people in both countries and contributed to the friendship, Japanese fans say. The Chinese Embassy called them "the cutest messengers of friendship".
According to the embassy, cooperation in wildlife conservation has been the epitome of friendly exchanges between China and Japan. And as this year marks the 45th anniversary of the conclusion of the Sino-Japanese Treaty of Peace and Friendship, the love for giant pandas is expected to drive more mutually beneficial collaboration between the countries.
Similar was the craze in the United States where some 70,000 people lined up to welcome the first two pandas there in 1972. The euphoria had not died down one bit in 50-odd years.
On April 16, 1972, following former US president Richard Nixon's historic visit to China with first lady Pat Nixon, 18-month-old giant pandas Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing arrived at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland and were taken by police escort to the National Zoo in Washington, DC. During the visit, China promised that two giant pandas would be sent to the US. Nixon reciprocated by sending China a pair of musk oxen.
When the National Zoo presented the bears, it declared April 20 to be "Panda Day". Twenty thousand people, including Pat Nixon, saw the pandas from China, who have captured the hearts of people in the United States.
What followed at the zoo in the nation's capital were huge crowds and pandemonium: both of which continue to this day at US zoos with giant pandas. The following Sunday, 75,000 people went to the National Zoo and waited in a line going back hundreds of meters to catch a glimpse of the bears. They continued to be the National Zoo's top attraction until Ling-Ling died in 1992, followed by Hsing-Hsing seven years later.
This exchange was seen as so successful it inspired British Prime Minister Edward Heath to ask for a panda loan during his 1974 visit to China. Chia-Chia and Ching-Ching arrived at their new digs, the London Zoo, a few weeks later.
The gift of the placid, black-and-white bears was part of China's long-standing tradition of panda diplomacy that began during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) when Empress Wu Zetian sent a pair of pandas to the Japanese emperor.
Although pandas used to be gifts sent to friendly nations to carry the torch of friendship, the tradition saw a significant shift in 1984, when China amended it’s panda protocols. The Chinese government announced in 1982 that it would stop giving pandas to foreign countries since the number of pandas continued to fall. Moving forward, the animals would only be sent out on 10-year loans, would require payment of a standard annual fee with a portion of the fees generated by these agreements plowed back into panda conservation and research. And China decreed that all cubs birthed from loaned pandas were Chinese citizens, regardless of place of birth, which are transferred back after a couple years.
Yet their rarity abroad means they remain a prized get for any zoo. In preparation for Sihai and Jingjing’s arrival, the Qatari government built a lavish air-conditioned pavilion for their exclusive use, with plans to open it in time for the influx of visitors brought by the World Cup. It’s further proof, if any was needed, that no one conducts diplomacy quite like a panda. In fact, then Chinese ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai wrote in a 2013 op-ed published in the Washington Post, “there are actually two Chinese ambassadors in Washington: me and the panda cub at the National Zoo.”
How does the cutest animal ambassador work their economic magic?
With an instantly recognizable image, the panda is so much more than an endangered bamboo-eating bear. Adored by kids and adults the world over it has been adopted as a symbol for conservation organizations and has proved to be a merchandiser's dream by inspiring cuddly toy sales by the billions.
Researchers at Oxford investigated the intangible economic value pandas bring to international political relationships with China in a paper published in the journal, Environmental Practice. It's a dynamic closely related to the Chinese concept of “guanxi”, a term used to describe personal relationships and an emphasis on trust and loyalty highly valued in Chinese society. "When China loans a panda," explains lead author Kathleen Buckingham, "they're in some ways accepting the host nation into their 'inner circle'."
Pandas are often used to "seal the deal and signify a bid for a long and prosperous relationship," says Buckingham. "If a panda is given to the country, it does not just signify the closing of a deal - they have entrusted an endangered, precious animal to the country; it signifies in some ways a new start to the relationship."
The strength of these international bonds run deeper than meets the eye. Over the past decade, the team found there has been a clear relationship between overseas panda loans from China and trade deals for valuable resources and technology. Shortly after Scotland's Edinburgh Zoo received its pandas in 2011, claim the researchers, trade deals were signed for renewable energy technology, fish, and vehicles, injecting billions of dollars into the local economy. As a sign of the fortuitous trend, Scottish exports to China have almost doubled over the past half-decade.
The international politics are intriguing, but zoos play a different game. While a "panda loan" signifies China's faith in future cooperation with a country, the zoos themselves aren't making multi-billion dollar trade and investment deals. Panda loans carry an annual fee of about $1 million. Moreover, the price tag for building habitable enclosures for them is an up-front cost of seven or eight figures. There are also various unpredictable additions such as a conservation fee, running some $400,000, to be paid to China if pandas give birth; and regardless of climate, zoos have to come up with 11-16 kg of bamboo per panda per day for the picky eaters.
This sort of undertaking is a lot for an individual zoo to shoulder on its own. So while a panda is certainly a badge of pride for host countries, how do they affect the zoo's bottom line? Luckily, visitors' fascination with the cuddly creatures tends to cover their costs and then some. The National Zoo in Washington, DC, for example, estimates a $1.2 million payoff over their decade hosting the pandas. Even more if there are cubs. "A panda cub would be a conservation superstar, attracting millions of visitors at up to £16 a head.”
Merchandise – not just entrance tickets which are sometimes augmented by a "Panda tax" – are a boon the zoos. “Kids can take home little plushes, panda backpacks," says Megan Winokur, publicist for Zoo Atlanta. They even have "panda toasters that put the face of a panda on every piece of toast that you put in there.”
It is fair to say that the giant panda is the best four-legged diplomat from China. Wherever it goes, it receives a warm welcome and spreads friendship. A popular joke on social networking sites goes that the panda best represents cross-cultural harmony and inclusiveness because the bamboo-loving diplomats is "black, white, and Asian”.
For thousands of years, the Chinese people have been encountering all kinds of cultures, some peacefully, some not so. But they have all been met with the same open, inclusive nature.
The panda is also representative of Chinese culture.It has a high profile overseas like the hero of the blockbuster movie Kung Fu Panda. And remember Bing Dwen Dwen, the panda wearing a full-body shell made of ice? It is the mascot of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics who became an overnight sensation sought after by people. Like the cute animal, China, too, is inclusive and extends a warm welcome to all friends. It is the only civilization that has, uninterruptedly, evolved for 5,000 years.
旅日大熊猫“香香”，终于回到了中国。
作为日本“顶流”明星的“香香”要离开的这几天，爱她的日本人都在流泪，依依惜别。
2月21日上午，旅日大熊猫“香香”从东京上野动物园出发，并于当日晚抵达中国四川双流国际机场，然后前往大熊猫保护研究中心。
“香香”出生于2017年6月，是上野动物园自然繁殖成功的第一只大熊猫。由于父母是从中国出借的大熊猫“比力”与“仙女”，“香香”所有权属于中国。如今，已经5岁多的“香香”已经进入繁殖适龄期，此时回国也是为了能尽快寻找到合适伴侣。
根据东京都政府与我国野生动物保护协会的协议，大熊猫“香香”原定于2020年底前归还，但因受到新冠等因素的影响而推迟到了今年2月。
2月19日上野动物园开放大熊猫“香香”最后的观赏日，大批粉丝从早上就排起长队与她告别。超过6万人报名参加“约一分钟轮班制”的面见“香香”的机会，最终只有2600人中选。尽管只有1分钟的时间，但人们还是拼命举起相机拍下她在日本生活的最后时光。
当天清晨7时，东京上野动物园门口已聚集了150多位为““香香””送行的日本粉丝。当载着““香香””的卡车从人群面前驶过时，大家纷纷举起手机拍照记录，喊着“香香，再见”“香香，谢谢”，依依不舍与“香香”道别。
当天，上野动物园园长福田丰举办记者会，向喜爱“香香”的民众表达谢意。福田丰说，感谢中国野生动物保护协会、中国大熊猫保护研究中心对“香香”的饲养工作给予的宝贵指导。同日，东京都知事小池百合子就“香香”回归中国接受采访时说：“大熊猫非常受人喜爱。”
为什么日本人对大熊猫的喜爱如此狂热？大熊猫在中国外交中扮演了什么角色？
1972年10月28日，为了纪念我国与日本邦交正常化，上野动物园领养了一只雄性大熊猫“康康”和一只雌性大熊猫“兰兰”，一经亮相便引发了日本国民的熊猫热潮。截止到2022年，日本国内仅有10只大熊猫可供参观，可谓是物以稀为贵。
日本共同社在报道中形容，“香香”是以呆萌可爱迷倒游客的“招牌女孩”。去年，“香香”五周岁生日的时候，东京上野一家百货店大楼外挂出了五层楼高的巨幅海报，上面写着“祝大熊猫快乐”，以此来为“香香”送上生日祝福。还有不少商家也纷纷“蹭热点”，从玩偶、点心到文具、钱包，推出了各类周边商品，很多商品开售几个小时后就被抢购一空。有的餐厅甚至把寿司都做成了熊猫的形状，还有百货店推出了限时打折优惠，并在店内举办了香香照片展和“扫码线上找香香”的AR游戏，促进顾客进店消费。
2月21日，“中国驻日本大使馆”微信公众号发文表示，“香香”是最萌“友好使者”。文中提到，大熊猫到日本是中日邦交正常化的标志性事件，以大熊猫为代表的中日野生动物保护合作是两国友好交往的精彩缩影。今年是《中日和平友好条约》缔结45周年，是一个值得纪念的重要年份。期待更多人在“大熊猫热”带动下，投身中日友好交流和互利合作，参与到构建契合新时代要求的中日关系大潮中。
事实上，中国的“熊猫外交”最早可追溯至唐朝，据日本《皇家年鉴》记载，公元658年10月22日，唐朝女皇武则天将一对大熊猫和70张皮作为国礼，送给日本天皇。而将时间线拉回到近代，1941年，大熊猫开始成为我国最高规格的国礼，当年宋美龄向美国赠送一对大熊猫以示对其救济中国难民的谢意。
新中国成立后，海外的“大熊猫热”始终热度不减，赠送国外的熊猫为中国外交增添了重彩浓墨的一笔。1972年尼克松总统访华之际，赠送大熊猫作为重要议题由中美领导人敲定，后由当时的“第一夫人”帕特•尼克松（ Pat Nixon）亲自主持官方接收仪式，同时美国将两头麝香牛作为答谢赠送给了中国。
大熊猫被捐赠给华盛顿国家动物园后，再次掀起“熊猫热”。《华盛顿邮报》如此描述美国人的热情：“华盛顿国家动物园熊猫馆开放后三天，在大熊猫馆水晶玻璃馆前，游客以每小时1200名的速度，争相排队，只为一瞥上周日从中国来的大熊猫；甚至有游客在熊猫馆开放后一连三天前往动物园，只为一睹大熊猫睁眼”。统计数据显示：华盛顿国家动物园“熊猫馆”开放后一年内，约一千一百万名美国游客参观了大熊猫。
通过梳理，1946年-1974年，英国获赠3只大熊猫；1957年-1959年，苏联获赠2只大熊猫；1965年-1980年，朝鲜相继获赠5只大熊猫；1973年法国获赠2只大熊猫；1975年墨西哥获赠一对大熊猫；1978年中国赠送西班牙一对大熊猫；1980年德国接收了一对大熊猫；1972年-1982年，4只大熊猫相继被赠予日本等等。
由于担心数量非常有限的大熊猫种群日益减少，同时也为响应保护濒危动物的全球性号召，从1982年开始，中国停止赠送大熊猫，转向“租借”方式。在海外国家的邀请下，中国先后组织了数十次“大熊猫访问团”出访各国。
21世纪后，中国开启了与海外合作研究模式的“熊猫外交”。截至2017年10月，我国与全球12个国家的14个动物园建立了大熊猫长期合作研究关系，共有40只中国籍大熊猫（含出生幼崽）生活在海外。同时，中国政府通过保护大熊猫赢得全球声誉。海外的专业组织盛赞中国政府的野生动物保护工作。世界野生动物基金会（ WWF）副主席赞扬中国政府：“中国在大熊猫栖息地重建、拓展和新栖息地建设方面的工作非常出色，中国树立了杰出的榜样——只要政府致力于保护动物，就能发生奇迹。”2016年9月4日，国际自然保护联盟（ IUCN）宣布大熊猫从“濒危”变成“易危”，同时充分肯定了中国政府的努力；世界野生动物基金会则称赞中国政府保护大熊猫工作“了不起”。
除了是憨态可掬的“友善大使”，大熊猫背后的经济效应也让各国动物园趋之若鹜。
据此前一项统计，截止到2017年，曾获赠或租借大熊猫的国家就包括美国、英国、俄罗斯、朝鲜、日本、法国、墨西哥、西班牙、马来西亚、比利时、苏格兰、丹麦、韩国、澳大利亚、奥地利、加拿大、荷兰等国。租借一只大熊猫，每年需要向中国支付100万美元，如因人为因素造成大熊猫死亡，则需向中国赔偿50万美元。同时，租借在外的大熊猫繁殖生下的小熊猫到了3岁还必须归还中国。
即便如此，世界各国仍在坚持不懈奋力争取熊猫的“租养权”。
自1996年中国与美国开展大熊猫国际合作研究项目以来，美国已有4个动物园与中方建立合作研究关系。学者的研究表明，这4家美国动物园游客量每年达700万余人，占美国总人口的2.3%，大熊猫是美国游客的必看展区。
2011年中国送给英国的一对大熊猫“阳光”和“甜甜”更是彻底改变了英国皇家动物协会的经济状况，从曾经年亏120万英镑到年赚240万英镑。据统计，接收这对大熊猫的英国爱丁堡动物园，全年收入也从500万英镑增加到了1500万英镑。英国专家研究称，若这对熊猫能诞生一只幼崽，将为爱丁堡动物园带来超过5000万英镑的收入。
日本出生的“香香”更是直接拉动了当地经济，据关西大学经济学名誉教授宫本胜弘估计，仅在香香生命的头三年半时间里，它就带来了539亿日元(约合4.02亿美元)的经济效益。
比如，荷兰努力了十六载，才在2017年拿到中国大熊猫的租养权，堪比申奥。甚至为了给大熊猫一个舒适的环境，荷兰狂砸700万欧元，打造了9000平方米的豪华熊猫园。
而最近一次熊猫“出国”的目的地是卡塔尔，当地熊猫馆在寸土寸金的多哈可谓是“最贵标间”。2021年，公园专门修建了大熊猫馆，占地12万平米，甚至为大熊猫馆专门修了双车道的路。据介绍，“四海”和“京京”这对中东首对大熊猫享受了卡塔尔“国宝级”待遇，熊猫馆规划和设计都按中国要求、符合大熊猫生活习惯来修建，熊猫每周享受从四川空运的约1000公斤竹子。
当然，和“大熊猫”一起“走出去”的还有中国文化和中国形象。熊猫“福宝”暂居韩国，饲养员爷爷为防止“福宝”回家后，不会说家乡话找不到朋友，常常教它说中文。日本在送还熊猫“永明”时，用竹子排出了“感谢”字样。荷兰为迎接大熊猫聘请了30多名中国建筑师，仿照中国古代皇家宫殿风格，建造出9000平方米的皇室熊猫宫殿。
在世界语境中，熊猫也是中国最重要的象征物之一。前中国驻美大使崔天凯说过，大熊猫是中美友谊与合作的“形象大使”。动画电影《功夫熊猫》就把好莱坞的表现手法同中国元素很好地结合在一起。而2022年北京冬奥会时，以熊猫为原型的吉祥物“冰墩墩”红极一时。中国大熊猫“走出去”，不仅以其可爱形象为世界人民带去了欢乐和和谐，还成为了讲好中国故事，传播好中国声音的良好载体。透过大熊猫，世界人民能够看到源远流长、博大精深的中华文化和生生不息的中国精神，油然而生对中国的喜爱之情。
Executive Editor: Sonia YU
Editor: LI Yanxia
Host: Stephanie LI
Writer: Stephanie LI
Sound Editor: Stephanie LI
Graphic Designer: ZHENG Wenjing, LIAO Yuanni
Produced by 21st Century Business Herald Dept. of Overseas News.
Presented by SFC
编委: 于晓娜
策划、编辑：李艳霞
播音：李莹亮
撰稿：李莹亮
音频制作：李莹亮
设计：郑文静、廖苑妮