Two giant pandas from China have become California residents as their new enclosure at the San Diego Zoo opened to the public on Thursday with an international ceremony.
The pandas, Yun Chuan and Xin Bao, are the first to arrive in the U.S. in 21 years and were welcomed by California Governor Gavin Newsom and the Chinese ambassador to the U.S., Xie Feng.
Yun Chuan is a 5-year-old male with a long, slightly pointed nose, while Xin Bao is a 4-year-old female with big fluffy ears. Her name means “precious treasure of prosperity and abundance.”
Yun Chuan’s name means “big river of cloud.” His mother, Zhen Zhen, was born at the San Diego Zoo in 2007.
The zoo is working with Chinese experts to help the pandas adjust and meet their needs. The pandas are enjoying fresh bamboo and a local version of “wotou,” a traditional Chinese steamed corn bread also known as “panda bread.”
Ambassador Xie Feng said, “The arrival of Yun Chuan and Xin Bao, as we celebrate the 45th anniversary of our diplomatic ties, has sent a clear and important message.”
“China-US cooperation on panda conservation will not cease. Our people-to-people exchanges and sub-national cooperation will not stop and once opened, the door of China-U.S. friendship will not be shut again.”
Newsom added that the new pandas represent “celebrating our common humanity. It’s about celebrating the things that bind us together.”
