Pandas Yun Chuan and Xin Bao are the first of their kind to enter the United States in over two decades, restarting the long-observed "panda diplomacy" between Beijing and Washington. California celebrated the return of giant pandas to the San Diego Zoo on Thursda, in a ceremony that attracted large crowds, dignitaries and the media. Yun Chuan and Xin Bao are the first giant pandas to enter the US in over two decades, quelling fears that thawing US-China relations had put an end to "panda diplomacy.
" "This is about something much deeper, much richer, than just the two beautiful pandas we celebrate," California Governor Gavin Newsom said at the opening ceremony. "It's about celebrating our common humanity. It's about celebrating the things that bind us together.
" The welcome ceremony included traditional Chinese dances and speeches from Chinese Ambassador Xie Feng and other local officials. "Two little panda fans from California wrote several letters to me proposing giving China grizzly bears to get pandas," Xie said, eliciting laughs. Meet the pandas Yun Chuan and Xin Bao arrived at the San Diego Zoo in June and were acclimatizing before being revealed to the public.
Both were born in the Wolong Shenshuping Panda Base in China's Sichuan province. Yun, described by the zoo as "mild-mannered, gentle and lovable," is a nearly 5-year-old male panda. His ancestors Bai Yun and Gao Gao both lived at the San Diego Zoo for over a decade, while his mother, Zhen Zhen, was the fourth cub.