The pair of giant pandas that arrived at the San Diego Zoo from China earlier this summer will make their eagerly-awaited public debut on August 8, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance announced on Friday.
Yun Chuan and Xin Bao landed in California from China on June 27 for a 10-year international giant panda protection cooperation with the San Diego Zoo, marking a new round of U.S.-China panda exchanges. The two are the first pandas to enter the United States in 21 years.
Yun Chuan is a nearly five-year-old male, identifiable by his long, pointy nose. His mother, Zhen Zhen, was born at the San Diego Zoo in 2007. Xin Bao is a nearly four-year-old female best recognized by her large, round face and big, fluffy ears.
Since their arrival in late June, the pair have been acclimating to their home in the newly re-imagined Panda Ridge, said the zoo.
The innovative space is four times larger than the San Diego Zoo's previous panda habitat and inspired by famous geological formations in China, emulating mountains, canyons and cliffs. It features new shade trees for climbing, a diverse array of plants, and rolling hillsides that allow Yun Chuan and Xin Bao to navigate and explore vertically, according to the zoo.
On Friday, the zoo also released the first video of the two pandas as they continue settling into their new home.
Marco Wendt, wildlife ambassador at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, said the pandas' arrival represents and exciting avenue for cooperation between the two countries.
"It's been over 21 years since the United States has received giant pandas and for me, it's a wonderful example of collaboration. I've been here at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance for about 28 years. And I've learned one particular that, conservation begins with people. And this is a wonderful opportunity to unite the people of the world with such an amazing species," said Wendt.
The San Diego Zoo, one of the most visited zoos in the country, is the first U.S. zoo to have a cooperative conservation program with Chinese partners. Located north of downtown San Diego in Balboa Park, it is home to more than 12,000 rare and endangered animals representing over 680 species and subspecies.
The panda pair was selected from the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP), which has conducted scientific research cooperation with the San Diego Zoo for over 25 years, with fruitful results in the protection, breeding and disease control of giant pandas, and public education.
Giant pandas are one of the world's most endangered species. Nearly 1,900 pandas live in the wild, mostly in the provinces of Sichuan and Shaanxi in China, rising from 1,100 in the 1980s.
Giant pandas to make public debut in San Diego on Thursday
As the Spring Festival holiday approaches, rural fairs and popular markets in China are seeing a surge in activity as vendors prepare to meet the increased demand for goods and services during the eight-day celebration.
The Spring Festival, which marks the start of the Chinese Lunar New Year, is the biggest annual holiday in China, when people across the country return to their hometowns for Lunar New Year celebrations and family reunions. This year, it falls on Jan 29, ushering in the Year of the Snake.
In Zaozhuang City of east China's Shandong Province, the rural market is already filled with a strong festive atmosphere. People are busy buying couplets and other goods for the Spring Festival, with stalls displaying a dazzling array of products and vendors' shouts filling the air.
The market, which has a history of over 100 years and is held on the forth and ninth days in China's lunar months, has attracted residents from nearby to join in the lively celebrations.
In Luoyuan County of Fuzhou City in east China's Fujian Province, the locally produced yellow croakers are in high demand. Fisherman said 20 million yellow croakers have been freshly harvested and are now available for purchase.
"The fish were put into the lake in spring of 2023 and have now grown to an average weight of about 8 liang (about 0.4 kilograms) each," said Huang Jianfeng, a local fish farmer.
Meanwhile, gold sales continued to boom despite the soaring price, about 634 yuan (over 86 U.S. dollars) per gram as of Monday, as many Chinese consumers buy gold products before the Spring Festival for good luck, or for investment.
Staff at a gold store in Shenzhen of south China's Guangdong Province said that this year is a lot busier than before.
"There has been a great increase in the number of customers and sales this year. At the beginning of last year, we could still cope with the guests. But we feel that we are obviously too busy this year," said Cai Yihan, staff member of a gold store in Shuibei, Shenzhen's renowned gold and jewelry district.
The demand for fresh flowers has also reached its annual high in southwest China's Yunnan Province.
In its provincial capital Kunming's Dounan Flower Market, which accounts for 70 percent of China's national fresh-cut flower trade, its sales peak is expected to last for about three weeks.
This year, new varieties like tulips are gaining popularity and are likely to become the most sold in China, according to the Van den Berg Roses Planting Base in Kunming, a rose grower brand from the Netherlands.
In addition, due to reduced exports from the Netherlands, the main source of tulip imports, China's domestic tulip prices have risen by one fourth compared to last year.
The increased market demand has led to a significant boost in income for local flower farmers.
"The strong market demand has led to a 5 percent increase in income for local farmers compared to previous years," said Guo Xinggang, production manager of the Van den Berg Roses Planting Base.
Festive consumption heats up in China as Spring Festival approaches