Despite the cross-strait (China and Taiwan) tensions, a grand celebration was held on the 30th in Taiwan for the twentieth birthday of the panda gifted by China, attracting great attention.
A 20th birthday party was held on the 30th for the panda Yuan Yuan at the Taipei Zoo in Taiwan. [Photo by AP Yonhap News]
According to the AP News, many visitors gathered at the Taipei Zoo in Taiwan to celebrate the twentieth birthday of the panda Yuan Yuan.
Visitors surrounded Yuan Yuan's enclosure, eagerly taking photos of Yuan Yuan receiving a birthday cake.
Yuan Yuan was born in China and came to Taiwan in 2008 along with her male partner Tuan Tuan.
Yuan Zai and Yuan Bao, born to Yuan Yuan and Tuan Tuan, also live together at the zoo. However, Tuan Tuan passed away in 2022 at the age of 18.
The AP reported, "Putting politics aside, many people at Taipei Zoo celebrated Yuan Yuan's twentieth birthday," adding, "Yuan Yuan and Tuan Tuan arrived in Taiwan during a relatively peaceful period in cross-strait relations following the 1949 civil war."
It further noted that China is conducting 'panda diplomacy' through pandas native only to the region, with about 1,900 pandas living in the mountains of western China and 600 pandas residing in zoos and breeding centers in China and overseas.
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