Giant pandas were captured playing, eating, slipping down in snow at the Foping Rescue, Breeding and Research Base of Qinling Giant Panda in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, when the first snow fell in area last Friday.
In a video released by the Foping Panda Base on Saturday, four cute giant pandas were climbing trees and joyfully rolling around in the snow-covered playground, while also taking moments to savor bamboo leaves.
Giant pandas prefer snow and are unfazed by the cold, while being averse to heat. Snow serves as a natural "skin care product" for them, effectively cleansing and maintaining their fur.
Situated on the southern slope of the Qinling Mountains, Foping County encompasses one of the main habitats for giant pandas and a multitude of rare animals and plants. The county has also earned the designation as the Foping Biosphere Reserve by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Around the same time, wild pandas were also caught by cameras while wandering in different zones in a nature reserve in the province.
Panda activities were primarily captured in the temperate coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forests of the Shaanxi Huangbaiyuan Nature Reserve, situated at an altitude of 1,300 to 2,900 meters above sea level.
The videos revealed several giant pandas casually passing by the camera, some resting in the bamboo thickets while munching on bamboo, and one particularly curious panda walking right up to the infrared camera, sniffing it before continuing its way.
Shaanxi giant pandas captured frolicking in snow
A civil group in Japan held a study session on Saturday to tell the historical truth about the Nanjing Massacre and called on the Japanese government and society to reflect on history and avoid repeating the tragedy of war of aggression.
Saturday marks China's 12th National Memorial Day for the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre which took place when Japanese troops occupied the then-Chinese capital on Dec 13, 1937, killing approximately 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers in one of the most barbaric episodes of WWII over the course of six weeks.
"Japan's army committed a brutal atrocity -- the Nanjing Massacre 88 years ago in 1937. Today, on this important day, let us observe a moment of silence for 30 seconds for the victims," said an organizer of the study session.
This study session was led by Jomaru Yoichi, a former journalist with the Asahi Shimbun, a Japanese daily newspaper. Yoichi compiled numerous articles published in Japanese newspapers after the Nanjing Massacre. Among them, an article published on December 24, 1937 detailed the atrocities committed by the invading Japanese army in China.
"Around 08:00, about 400-500 defeated Chinese soldiers fled. The Japanese soldiers drove them into houses and bamboo groves, setting fires on all sides. Many of them were driven out by thick smokes. The Japanese soldiers killed them one by one with rifles and bayonets. The Japanese soldiers lost track of how many they had stabbed and killed all of them by 16:00," Yoichi recounted.
Many Japanese citizens said the Japanese government and society must confront the truth of history, and it's important to disseminate accurate historical information in contemporary Japan.
"The Nanjing Massacre is a real incident. The remarks that 'The Nanjing Massacre didn't exist' or 'The Japanese army was powerful and righteous' ignore historical evidence and deny the facts outright. I believe these are all attempts to hide the truth of history. I think these are all wrong. Facts are facts, and we must face history squarely," said a participant at the study session.
"I used to teach history in high school. In 1988, I spent two weeks in China and visited for the first time the site documenting the war crimes of the invading Japanese army. On the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the social atmosphere in Japan is gradually becoming strange. We must seriously examine Japan's past history, and disseminating accurate history has become even more important," said another participant.
Some expressed their concern that the Japanese government's historical revisionism, its attempt to cover up the truth of history, and its path towards military expansion will prevent Japan from facing the future.
"The fact that the Japanese army's war of aggression is not taught in social studies or history courses. I have no choice but to learn this myself even now at my age. The idea of upholding the pacifist constitution is becoming increasingly strong. Current Japanese politicians are pursuing a military expansion strategy, which I find incomprehensible," said another participant.
In 2014, China's top legislature designated December 13 as a national memorial day for the massacre victims.
Japanese civil group calls for remembrance of Nanjing Massacre victims
