Zoo Atlanta staff receive giant pandas in Chengdu

Staff from Zoo Atlanta received a pair of giant pandas, Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, from southwest China's Sichuan Province early on Sunday.

Before their departure, the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding held a farewell ceremony for the pair, and Zoo Atlanta employees traveled to Chengdu for the handover.

To create a more comfortable and safer living environment for the two pandas, the U.S. side has carried out venue renovations and upgrades with technical assistance from Chinese experts, according to Sam Rivera, vice president of animal health at Zoo Atlanta.

"We collaborated with our colleagues from the panda base to make our facilities bigger. So we made more space for pandas. We also want to ensure that they have good food, good bamboo, so we are collecting a lot of bamboo from the Atlanta area to make sure that they have plenty of food to eat," he said.

China-U.S. giant panda protection cooperation is one of China's longest-running and most far-reaching international wildlife protection initiatives.

In April 1972, two giant pandas -- Ling Ling and Xing Xing, arrived in the United States following the visit of then U.S. President Richard Nixon to China in February the same year. In 1994, the China Wildlife Conservation Association (CWCA) signed an agreement with the San Diego Zoo, officially launching the cooperation program.

Over the past three decades, the two sides have conducted joint research in key areas including panda behavior, nutrition, genetics and disease prevention, achieving significant breakthroughs in breeding techniques. Through the cooperation, pandas in the United States have successfully bred and raised 17 cubs to date -- six in San Diego, four in Washington and seven in Atlanta.

The latest move came after the CWCA signed an agreement on international cooperation in giant panda protection with Zoo Atlanta last year.

"The Zoo Atlanta, the city of Atlanta, people in Georgia and beyond are very excited for new giant pandas to come and make their home at Zoo Atlanta. Zoo Atlanta has made wonderful collaborations and friendships here at the Chengdu panda base, and we have worked together to do different science projects and research to learn more about the care of giant pandas," said Gina Ferrie, vice president of collections and conservation at Zoo Atlanta.

The pair is set for a 10-year stay in the United States, which is set to further boost international cooperation on giant panda protection.

The male panda, Ping Ping, born on March 17, 2020, is easily recognizable due to its large, dark eye rims. It has a stocky build, moves nimbly, and has demonstrated proficiency in climbing trees, often resting among the branches.

The female panda, Fu Shuang, born on October 18, 2020, is characterized by a small tuft of fluffy fur on her head and a full, protruding forehead. With a round appearance, it is quick to react, and very capable of foraging for food.

Zoo Atlanta staff receive giant pandas in Chengdu

A wide range of Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations have been held across China over the past few days, immersing people in a rich festive atmosphere and offering them a chance to feel the unique charm of traditional Chinese culture.

The Mid-Autumn Festival, traditionally a time for family reunion and moon viewing, fell on Friday this year, with a three-day public holiday running from Sept 25 to 27.

The Qingming Shanghe Garden in Kaifeng City, central China's Henan Province, is an antique cultural theme park based on the legendary art work "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" by Song Dynasty (960-1279) painter Zhang Zeduan. It presented Song Dynasty street scenes with live-action performances and interactive activities on Friday night, making visitors feel like they were traveling inside the painting.

In Tongren City of southwest China's Guizhou Province, the Zhongnanmen Ancient Town, a scenic spot that retains many well-preserved buildings dating back to the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, has staged a series of theatrical performances and intangible cultural heritage exhibitions, captivating crowds of visitors.

"We were overwhelmed, because it's our first time watching an intangible cultural heritage drama in the old town," said Wan Fen, a visitor.

In Sanya City of south China's Hainan Province, more than 20 international tourists gathered to make mooncakes together. While learning about the history of the traditional festival, they also shared about family reunion traditions in their own cultures.

In Xiamen City of east China's Fujian Province, a mooncake dice event has brought together more than 1,000 participants from across the Taiwan Strait to celebrate the festival and experience the joy of the centuries-old folk custom.

"Sharing the same Mid-Autumn Festival and common cultural traditions, we can truly feel here that people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are of the same family," said Lin Yijun, a participant from Taiwan.

In Shenzhen City of south China's Guangdong Province, a performance of Shatoujiao fish lantern dance -- a national-level intangible cultural heritage passed down for 300 years, lit up the Shatoujiao Street, adding a poetic touch to Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations.

In Liuzhou City of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the Longtan Park integrated festival traditions with new technologies to diversify festival offerings for visitors, holding innovative activities such as parades featuring ethnic minority customs, lantern riddle guessing activities with AI-powered robots, and stunt shows by robot dogs.

At nighttime, more than 200 performers presented a live-action show at the park, staging classic scenes such as Chang'e -- the goddess of moon in a famous Chinese legend, flying to the moon.

Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations across China blend tradition, technology, cultural exchange