In modern times, the giant panda has always been called the "friendly ambassador" of China, which has actively promoted the friendship and mutual understanding between China and foreign countries. In this sense, the giant panda has always been a political tool.
From 1936 to 1945, China citizens presented 14 pandas to western countries. 194 1 year, Chiang Kai-shek, the Soong sisters and several senior officials of the Kuomintang officially donated a pair of pandas to the United Relief Society for Chinese Refugees. 1946, * *, a national of the Republic of China, presented a giant panda to * * * in Britain, officially starting the journey of giant panda going abroad as a national gift.
After the founding of New China and New China, the whereabouts of pandas reflected China's foreign policy at that time:1In the 1950s, China presented two pandas to the Soviet Union; /kloc-in the 1960 s, pandas were left out in the cold and were not given to any other country except North Korea. 1970s, Sino-US relations thawed, and pandas suddenly became popular in the West, including the United States (1972), Japan (1972), France (1973), Britain (1974) and Japan.
After 1982, in view of the sharp decline in the number of giant pandas caused by the deterioration of the ecological environment, China stopped giving giant pandas to foreign countries. 1984, with the economic reform and opening up, the giant panda kept pace with the times, took off the mask of "friendly ambassador", put on the title of "business counselor", devoted himself to the modernization of China, and started the famous "panda rental" plan. According to this plan, China will rent giant pandas to foreign zoos in a short time, and the rent will be paid by the other party. For a time, the giant panda has become a big foreign exchange earner with deep pockets, and the relevant domestic departments are scrambling to export it, resulting in a large number of giant pandas being caught, leading to chaotic management and seriously affecting the protection of giant pandas. Under the pressure of international environmental protection organizations and the United States, China later stopped renting giant pandas for commercial purposes and replaced them with the name "Cooperative Breeding of Giant Pandas". In this name, it usually takes ten years to rent pandas from foreign countries, and the receiving country pays10 million US dollars to China, with an average annual rent of 500,000 US dollars for each panda.
Donation (1957-1982) Since the 1950s, the people of China and China have continued to adopt the political donation method of "panda diplomacy". China presented the giant panda as a national gift to those countries that maintain good diplomatic relations with China and China hopes to establish diplomatic relations with them. Nine countries including the Soviet Union, North Korea, the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Spain and Mexico received 24 giant pandas donated by China.
The first country to accept giant pandas donated by People's Republic of China (PRC) was the Soviet Union. 1957, Pingping as a national gift to the Soviet union; 1959, An An was also presented as a spouse to the Soviet Union. North Korea also received five giant pandas from 1965 to 1980.
1956 to 1957, Miami Rare Bird Farm in Florida and Chicago Zoo sent letters to Beijing Zoo, hoping to "exchange money or animals for a pair of giant pandas in China". On May 7th, 1957, Beijing Zoo reported the exchange method to the Foreign Cultural Liaison Bureau of People's Republic of China (PRC), and obtained the consent of the Foreign Cultural Liaison Bureau of People's Republic of China (PRC), but requested that "both sides send personnel to visit each other's zoos and collect the exchanged animals". Because the United States, the State Council and other parties "don't agree to directly exchange animals with China", the matter was abandoned.
Nixon's visit to China1972 On February 2 1, US President Nixon and his wife arrived in Beijing and began their visit to China. On the second day of her arrival in Beijing, Mrs Pat Nixon visited the Beijing Zoo and had close contact with the giant panda. According to the concerns of American visitors and American advance team about giant pandas, China judged that the United States intends to have giant pandas. Later, at a banquet during Nixon's visit to China, the State Council's Prime Minister Zhou Enlai gave the Panda brand cigarette to Nixon's wife, Pat Nixon, and said that he would give two pandas to the United States. 1972 In April, the giant pandas Xing Xing and Lingling arrived in Washington, DC, and were warmly welcomed by the local people.
From 1950 to 1982, the panda diplomatic model has always been a purely political gift model, which is neither linked to business nor in the form of leasing. 1982, in response to the global call for the protection of endangered animals, the people of China and China announced that they would stop giving pandas abroad from 1982. This marks the end of "panda diplomacy" under the traditional political gift model.
Exhibition Tour and Commercial Leasing (1982-1994) During the Los Angeles Olympic Games, China temporarily rented the giant pandas "Yongyong" and "Yingying" from the Beijing Zoo to the Los Angeles Zoo for a three-month exhibition tour to show China's support for the Los Angeles Olympic Games. This is the beginning of the giant panda's overseas trip. Since then, the time for giant pandas in China Zoo to travel abroad has ranged from a few months to 1 year.
The trip to the giant panda is a political and commercial activity. For example, the above-mentioned tour exhibition at the Los Angeles Zoo during the Los Angeles Olympic Games was mainly an activity with diplomatic significance, and the exhibition held at the San Francisco Zoo afterwards was obviously commercial in nature. The exhibition tour has brought considerable economic benefits to the zoo where giant pandas live, but it has also affected the reproduction and development of giant pandas to some extent.
Since the mid-1990s, various measures taken to solve the problems caused by commercial leasing have greatly reduced the opportunities for pandas to travel abroad, basically ending the trend that panda diplomacy is mainly based on travel. However, under rare special circumstances, some people still go abroad for short-term diplomatic activities. For example, in 200 1 year, the IOC held its112nd plenary session in Moscow, Russia, and decided to host the 2008 Olympic Games. China immediately sent giant pandas Benben and Wen Wen as cultural envoys to Moscow to cheer for China's Olympic bid.
Problem For China, panda rental means not only rental income, but also a series of opportunities for staff to study abroad, which was a very rare opportunity in China in the mid-1960s. After seeing the benefits of panda rental, various domestic panda breeding institutions spare no effort to promote their own pandas. On the other hand, due to the warming of Sino-US relations and the panda fever in the United States, American zoos often get huge tickets worth tens of millions of dollars during the panda rental period of just three or two months. In addition to economic benefits, political factors also have a great influence on panda rental. Some big American cities, including new york, have used * * * resources to encourage or help zoos in this city to rent pandas from China for exhibitions.
Under the influence of various factors, the panda rental door heats up rapidly once it is opened. During the four years from 1984 to 1988, only Los Angeles, San Francisco, new york, San Diego, Toronto, Seattle, Portland, Atlanta, Cagliari, Memphis, Columbus, Detroit, Winnipeg and Florida have rented pandas from China. In China, the original panda lease was organized and operated by the China Zoo Association, and the zoo that provided giant pandas became the biggest beneficiary, which made the people of China and the Ministry of Forestry, who have the right to manage nature reserves and wildlife, very envious. The latter quickly joined the panda leasing, using their giant panda breeding base in China Nature Reserve to transport pandas overseas, and sometimes even catching wild pandas directly for leasing. The management of the whole work in China is very confusing, because both systems rent pandas at the same time. Due to the lease transaction, it is difficult to accurately count how many pandas are captured and exported. In addition, because the artificially raised pandas belong to different institutions, the information cannot be communicated well and the blood relationship is unknown. All breeding institutions have orphaned pandas.
Evaluation of Commercial Leasing In the early days of the rise of giant panda leasing, lessors, lessees, managers and environmental groups concerned about the protection of giant pandas generally welcomed panda leasing. All parties agree that panda rental will help closed China to open its doors to the western world, and let the western public pay attention to the fate of pandas through panda display. The high rent will also help China, which was poor at that time, to better study and protect pandas.
With the rapid expansion of panda leasing, some environmental groups criticized panda leasing. They think that panda leasing has caused a lot of panda fatigue for the economic and political interests of all parties, which not only increases the pain of captive pandas, but also disrupts the normal physiological cycle of pandas. Therefore, some rented pandas have missed the * * * period and lost the opportunity to breed, which has had a certain impact on the protection of giant pandas.
At the end of 1980, environmental groups noticed that most of the panda rental money was used to build panda breeding centers and capture pandas from the wild, and the criticism of panda rental reached an unprecedented scale. Opponents accuse pandas of renting out pandas and subsidizing the capture of wild pandas in China. The whole transaction not only did not provide any help for panda protection, but turned into a disguised hunt for pandas.
WWF is the first international group to cooperate with China to study giant pandas. 1990 or so, the group severely criticized the panda rental in China, which caused resentment in China. China said that panda leasing is an internal affair of China, and foreign organizations have no right to interfere. Wwf takes the panda as a symbol of the community, raising a lot of money from all over the world, and only using one tenth of it to protect the giant panda, which is very selfish. At the same time, China pointed out that the panda research cooperation between foreign institutions and China will be affected by their attitude towards panda leasing. Zoos that support panda leasing believe that panda leasing can promote the protection of giant pandas after ensuring non-commercial use.
Cooperative Research (1994- Up to now) In order to solve various problems caused by giant pandas going abroad and better protect giant pandas, china wildlife conservation association and the Chinese Zoological Society have reached an agreement with international animal protection agencies, and China can send a pair of healthy and fertile giant pandas to other countries for cooperative research 10, during which the breeding offspring will be owned by the Chinese side. If the giant panda dies unexpectedly, its remains will also be owned by the Chinese side. China can send technicians to cooperate with foreign countries to study giant pandas, and foreign countries pay China $6,543.8+0 million every year, totaling $6,543.8+0 million in 654.38+0 years.
1994, Chengdu Giant Panda Research Base transported a pair of giant pandas to Wakayama County, which was the beginning of cooperative research on giant pandas abroad. Of course, the primary consideration of international cooperation research on giant pandas is the level of scientific research and the ability to cultivate giant pandas, but diplomatic relations are also very important determinants. The cooperative research of giant pandas abroad needs to be countersigned by the Ministry of Construction, the Ministry of Forestry and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and also needs to be signed by the deputy prime minister or prime minister in charge.
At present, a certain number of pandas have been rented out in China, but unlike the 1960s and 1970s, most of them are rented for a long time with the main purpose of research and reproduction. Pandas living overseas are mostly offspring bred under artificial breeding conditions or individuals raised by human beings for a long time. No matter in quantity or source, panda rental no longer poses a threat to wild panda population.
At the end of September, 2007, the spokesperson of China State Forestry Administration publicly announced that China would no longer give pandas to foreign countries. The news immediately caused a shock overseas, and the British "Guardian" reported that "China's long-standing tradition of' panda diplomacy' came to an end." "Pandas are so rare and precious." An official of the State Forestry Administration is worried that the number of giant pandas is too small to be given endlessly as diplomatic gifts, which may not be worth the loss: "After all, they are all free."
Due to the deterioration of the living environment of giant pandas at that time, China stopped giving free giant pandas to foreign countries after 1982, and the era of giant pandas as national gifts ended. Since then, political gifts have been restricted to China, such as Hongkong and Taiwan Province Province.
In 2005, Cao Qingyao, the medical staff spokesman of the US State Forestry Administration, said that although China would no longer give pandas abroad, it could still carry out cooperative research with foreign countries. He said that by 2007, China and nine zoos in five countries had carried out cooperative research on panda reproduction and physiology, involving 30 pandas.
At present, only five "Panda Ambassadors" who have made important contributions to China's diplomacy are alive, including 1 Japanese, 3 Mexicans and 1 German. They joined the "foreign countries", and they all belong to the host country.
Wei Rongping, an engineer at Wolong Giant Panda Breeding Base in Sichuan, said: "The life span of giant pandas is generally around 25 years. Most of the giant pandas who went abroad earlier died of gastrointestinal diseases and physiological disorders. "
By the end of 20 13, there were about 1595 giant pandas, and the number was decreasing. By the end of 2006, there were 2 17 captive giant pandas, but according to the statistics of scientists, 78% of female giant pandas were infertile and 90% of male giant pandas were infertile.
Give a historical list of time.
Donation party
Primitive tissue
Giant panda name
gender
recipient
Post-employment organization
exchanger
death time
To annotate ...
194 1 year 1 1 month 9.
Republic of China (19 12- 1949)
West China University Wild Museum
Pan Da
United States Joint Committee for Relief of China Refugees
Bronx zoo
not have
195 1 year1October 3 1 day.
194 1 year 1 1 month 9.
Republic of China (19 12- 1949)
West China University Wild Museum
Panty·Anarchy
United States Joint Committee for Relief of China Refugees
Bronx zoo
not have
1945 10 October 4th
1May 946
Republic of China (19 12- 1949)
Sichuan university biology department
unite
Britain, England
ZSL London Zoo
Enjoy the free treatment of China zoology postgraduate places.
Not detailed
1957
People's Republic of China (PRC)
Average
the Soviet Union
Moscow National Zoo
Not detailed
1958
Beijing Zoo
Beijing Zoo
Kiki
Austrian animal businessman Heini Demer
ZSL London Zoo
3 giraffes, 2 rhinos, hippos, zebras, etc.
1July 22, 972
The origin of WWF logo
1959
People's Republic of China (PRC)
An an
the Soviet Union
Moscow National Zoo
Not detailed
Not detailed
People's Republic of China (PRC)
The first day of every month
Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)
North Korea Central Zoo
Not detailed
Not detailed
People's Republic of China (PRC)
The second day of every month
Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)
North Korea Central Zoo
Not detailed
Not detailed
People's Republic of China (PRC)
tinkle
Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)
North Korea Central Zoo
Not detailed
Not detailed
People's Republic of China (PRC)
Orion belt
Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)
North Korea Central Zoo
Not detailed
Not detailed
People's Republic of China (PRC)
Dandan
Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)
North Korea Central Zoo
Not detailed
1April 972
People's Republic of China (PRC)
chink
United States of America
Negara Zoo
1 musk ox
Not detailed
1April 972
People's Republic of China (PRC)
Xing Xing
United States of America
Negara Zoo
1 musk ox (ditto)
Not detailed
1972 10 month
People's Republic of China (PRC)
Blue
Japan
Ueno Zoo
Ueno Zoo
Japanese gazelle
1September 4, 979
1972 10 month
People's Republic of China (PRC)
take a look
Japan
Ueno Zoo
Ueno Zoo
Japanese gazelle (ditto)
1June 30, 980
1973 65438+ February
People's Republic of China (PRC)
Yan Yan
France
Vinson Zoo
65438+2000120 October
1973 65438+ February
People's Republic of China (PRC)
Li Li
France
Vinson Zoo
1April 20, 974
1April 974
People's Republic of China (PRC)
Jiajia
Britain, England
ZSL London Zoo
1 white rhinoceros
Not detailed
1974 April China people * * * and Guo Jingjing 1 A pair of white rhinos (ditto) unknown 1975 September.
People's Republic of China (PRC)
english-english
Mexico
Chapatte pike zoo
Central American tapirs, Caribbean cattle, hairless dogs, etc.
Not detailed
65438+September 0975
People's Republic of China (PRC)
Beibei
Mexico
Chapatte pike zoo
Central American tapirs, Caribbean cattle, hairless dogs, etc. (same as above)
Not detailed
65438+September 0978
People's Republic of China (PRC)
trembling
Spain
Madrid Zoo Aquarium
1 for gorillas
Not detailed
65438+September 0978
People's Republic of China (PRC)
Strong and strong
Spain
Madrid Zoo Aquarium
1 for gorillas (ditto)
Not detailed
1980
People's Republic of China (PRC)
huanhuan
Japan
Ueno Zoo
Ueno Zoo
1997 September 2 1
1980 1 1 month
People's Republic of China (PRC)
every day
West Germany
Berlin zoo
Four years later, he was infected with the virus and died.
1980 1 1 month
People's Republic of China (PRC)
baby
West Germany
Berlin zoo
August 22, 1965 438+02
1982
People's Republic of China (PRC)
fragrant
Japan
Ueno Zoo
Ueno Zoo
1994 12 14
Special Envoy for Peace In 1950s, China started "panda diplomacy", presenting pandas as national gifts to countries or regions that maintain good relations with China and China hopes to establish diplomatic relations with them. Nine countries, namely the Soviet Union, North Korea, the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Spain and Mexico, received 23 pandas from China. Among them, 1972 President Nixon gave him a panda during his visit to China, which made "panda diplomacy" reach its peak.
These panda ambassadors are regarded as "heads of state" in the receiving countries. After the death of a cub of Lingling, a giant panda living in the United States, the Swiss headquarters of WWF even lowered its flag at half mast for the first time. 1982, in response to the global call for the protection of endangered animals, China stopped giving free pandas to foreign countries, and the era of pandas as "national gifts" ended. Political gifts are limited to China.
Business counselor However, the giant panda's trip abroad has been uninterrupted. 1984, China * * * put forward the plan of renting giant pandas. Countries that wanted giant pandas in the past can borrow exhibitions for a short time and pay for pandas to visit local zoos. The giant panda has changed from a "messenger of peace" to a "business counselor". 1984 On the eve of the Los Angeles Olympic Games, China rented a pair of giant pandas "Yong Yong" and "Xin Ying" from the Beijing Zoo to visit the United States for three months, and the American Zoo earned tens of millions of dollars in ticket revenue in just two or three months. Since then, giant pandas have been exhibited in Canada, Ireland, Sweden, Belgium and other countries.
However, receiving a large number of tourists every day has delayed the breeding of giant pandas. In order to attract tourists, some zoos even train giant pandas to perform acrobatics. In the early 1990s, more and more environmental groups resisted renting giant pandas. The trip to the giant panda came to an end. According to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (1975), foreign zoos can only rent pandas in the name of scientific research exchange. Therefore, after two years of consultation, china wildlife conservation association and China Zoological Association reached an agreement with international animal protection agencies to carry out cooperative research with foreign countries. Foreign zoos can rent giant pandas from China for cooperative research. Usually, the rental period of a pair of sub-adult giant pandas is 10 years, and the rented zoo pays the rental fee of 10 million dollars every year. If the panda gives birth to cubs during the lease period, the average annual rent will increase by 600,000 US dollars, and the panda cubs will be sent back to China two years later. If the panda dies, the body will be sent back to China. China can send technicians to study giant pandas in turn with foreign countries, and foreign zoos need to pay the cooperation fee of 10 at the rate of 10 million dollars per year.
Baby Panda 1994, two pandas from Chengdu Giant Panda Research Base lived in Baibang Mountain Wildlife Park in Japan for the first time as "scientific research exchange ambassadors". Since then, many zoos in Wakayama, Seoul, Atlanta, Washington, Memphis and other places. Also began a long-term cooperative research with China. This way of cooperation is more abundant in manpower and material resources, which is conducive to a more comprehensive study of giant pandas.
The history of the special envoy "White Bear" panda as an ambassador abroad can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty. According to Japanese historical records, as early as 685 AD, Wu Zetian presented two "white bears" and 70 pieces of fur to Emperor Tianwu of Japan. According to relevant experts' research, the so-called "white bear" should refer to the giant panda, because there were giant pandas in Chang 'an Imperial Garden at that time. This is the first panda mission recorded in the known history books.
The worst messenger baby in peach blossom luck can be regarded as the oldest panda messenger in Berlin Zoo, Germany. In 2009, it was 3 1 year, which was equivalent to 90 years of human life. When "Baby" 1980 was presented to the Federal Republic of Germany, it was received by the Fuehrer on the red carpet. It has always been the "treasure of the town hall" of Berlin Zoo. The bamboo it eats every day is regularly flown in from France by special plane, and after refrigeration and disinfection, it ensures that its daily meals are fresh.
Bao Bao is also considered as the worst panda in Peach Blossom Luck. At the beginning, Tian Tian, the mother panda who came to Germany with her, died young. In order to find a good spouse for the "baby", Berlin Zoo tried its best to send the "baby" to London Zoo in England to have a blind date with the female panda "Mingming", but the two pandas had a big fight as soon as they met, which failed and almost led to a "murder case".
1997, the Germans rented a female giant panda "Yanyan" from China at a price of 60,000 dollars per year, hoping that they could get married. In order to help Yanyan get pregnant, the zoo tried artificial insemination for 8 years in a row, but all failed. In 2007, "Yanyan" died of acute intestinal obstruction, leaving a lonely "baby" to enjoy his old age.
The greediest special envoy's wife "Yan Yan" and "Bao Bao" are "halfway couples", and "Yan Yan" has lived in Berlin Zoo for 12 years. According to German media reports, "Yanyan" likes drinking and eating sweets, especially chocolate. In 2007, "Yanyan" died without warning and was identified as acute intestinal obstruction by autopsy. On the day of its death, some visiting German children brought their favorite small bottles of German spirits.
As early as 1997, when Shaanxi Rare Wildlife Rescue and Breeding Research Center visited Yanyan, it found a lot of sugar in her food and a large bucket of sugar in the pantry. The staff of Berlin Zoo explained that it was mixed with feed and fed to Yanyan because she likes sweets.
The most difficult envoys, Jiajia and Jingjing 1974, the British Prime Minister got a pair of giant pandas, Jiajia and Jingjing, but the arrival of the pandas made the London Zoo at that time very difficult.
First, the bamboo eaten by pandas needs to be imported, and the price is very expensive, which is beyond the affordability of bankrupt zoos. Besides, it costs about 70,000 pounds and other expenses to build a panda cage, which is a heavy burden for the zoo. The zoo can only try its best to take care of giant pandas. After Jingjing's death, Jiajia was rented to Chaptepec Zoo in Mexico until her death.
On September 25th, 0972, tanaka kakuei and Masayoshi Ohira led a Japanese delegation to Beijing for talks with China on the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. After the signing of the agreement declaration between the two countries, Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou promised to give Baoxing giant pandas "Lan Lan" and "Kang Kang" to the Japanese people.
1972101On October 8, when the special planes "Light Blue" and "Kangkang" flew into Japan's airspace, several fighters of the Japanese Self-Defense Force immediately took off and were escorted to Tokyo. Chief Cabinet Secretary Nikaido Susumu personally led a team to meet with China's "peace envoy". Under strict vigilance, the pair of giant pandas were released by the pilot car and went straight to Ueno Zoo. After a week's physical examination, he adapted to the autumn wind in Tokyo and officially appeared.
The most famous special envoy "Gigi" is the most famous panda ambassador in the world. Neither Lingling and Xing Xing in the United States nor Light Light Blue and Kangkang in Japan can compare with him.
This panda's name is Jiji. It was a female panda that was exchanged by Austrian animal dealer Heini Dehmel 1958 for three giraffes, two rhinos, a hippopotamus and a zebra from Beijing Zoo, and later lived in London Zoo. It is the prototype of the giant panda on the emblem of the World Wide Fund for Nature, which is known all over the world.
It is a microcosm of the process that China's diplomacy gradually moves towards self-confidence and maturity to evaluate China's gift of giant pandas from the beginning to cooperative research and loan later. "Panda diplomacy" is a way for China to exercise its soft power, and the panda is gradually compared to an animal in China by western media. China people themselves think that the panda and this metaphor are important outputs of culture and values. As a goodwill ambassador, the giant panda has traveled all over the world and played an incomparable role as a human diplomatic envoy. It has greatly improved China's relations with other countries in the world.
These giant pandas in China have attracted many people's attention. They are symbols of animal protection and can enhance the brand of the zoo. At the same time, taking care of this precious animal with other countries has consolidated the relationship between China and friends.
The controversial Oxford University refers to China's use of giant panda leasing to secure trade agreements.
In September, 20 13, a team from Oxford University analyzed the panda leasing projects in China in the past half century, and found that after 2008, China's leasing of pandas to foreign countries was "almost synchronized with the trade in resources and technology", and "leasing pandas enabled China to gain soft power without paying the real price." Researchers believe that this "diplomatic approach" is entering a new stage. They believe that the new stage is mainly based on "relationship" leasing. China rented two giant pandas 20 1 1 from Edinburgh Zoo. According to the research report, shortly after the panda leasing project, China and the Soviet Union signed trade agreements on salmon, alternative energy technologies and automobiles, with a total value of 2.6 billion pounds. The researchers said that at this stage, the meaning of the giant panda is more subtle, and the panda can be used to reach an agreement, marking the long-term and good relationship between the two sides. China entrusts this rare animal to this country, which in a sense symbolizes a new beginning of relations between the two countries.
Cheng Bin, an expert on China at the Heritage Foundation, said: "It is not surprising that China has benefited from this scarce resource. Lending can promote the protection of giant pandas, and China can gain a reputation as a responsible protector. This is not a bad thing. "