Giant pandas Ping Ping and Fu Shuang make public debut in Atlanta

Mark Fisher, a captain at FedEx, was one of the pilots flying giant pandas Ping Ping and Fu Shuang to Atlanta from Chengdu in September.

Fisher said it took about 16 hours to fly the pandas over. "It was a long trip, and they were very well taken care of on the airplane. Now to see them in their new enclosure is very exciting for us," he said with his wife by his side, adding that as a native Atlantan, bringing the pandas here has been a great honor.

The new Atlanta home of the giant pandas, Arthur M. Blank Panda Grove, opened on Friday. Long awaited after their arrival in late September, this debut offers the first public view of the pair.

"Everybody's been talking about it locally, everybody's excited and [has] been waiting patiently for this day," Fisher told China Daily on Friday.

Chinese Ambassador Xie Feng and Zoo Atlanta President and CEO Raymond King cut the ribbon for the $6 million updated Arthur M Blank Panda Grove on Friday. Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn

Indeed, a long line began to form in front of Zoo Atlanta about an hour before its door opened at 10:30 am. Many of them were eager to get the first glimpse of the new residents from China after quarantining for about a month.

The first pair - Lun Lun and Yang Yang - had lived here from 1999 to 2024, producing seven cubs in total with a one hundred percent survival rate. 

"I think today is a great reunion for us," Raymond King, president and CEO at Zoo Atlanta, told China Daily during the ribbon-cutting ceremony shortly before the door opened to the public. "We've missed our pandas for two years, and the citizens of Atlanta have certainly missed them."

King said that people come to see the pandas and often leave with a deeper appreciation for conservation as well as Chinese culture. 

"The relationships that have been established in that mutual partnership of conservation go a long way to bridge the differences that people perceive exist between the two cultures, and find that at the end of the day, while the governments may disagree at different times, the peoples want the same thing," King said. "We all have shared value in family and friendships and preserving our environment. It breaks down a lot of the barriers that would otherwise exist."

A family from California enjoys a selfie with giant panda Fu Shuang at Zoo Atlanta on Friday. Photo by May Zhou / China Daily

Chinese Ambassador to the US Xie Feng, addressing guests at the ceremony, said that the arrival of the new pair of pandas is "a vivid testament to the practical sub-national cooperation between China and the United States" and "instill fresh vitality into practical cooperation between China and Georgia, including the city of Atlanta, and will usher in a new phase in China-US sub-national engagement."

Ping Ping and Fu Shuang arrived three days after President Xi Jinping announced during his September state visit that the pandas would reach Atlanta within days.

Xie recounted Zoo Atlanta's history of panda conservation: in 1999, giant pandas Lun Lun and Yang Yang became the first panda residents at Zoo Atlanta. Under the meticulous care of the team here, they gave birth to a total of seven cubs across five litters in 25 years, including two pairs of twins, creating the most successful breeding record in China-US giant panda cooperation.

New resident Ping Ping is a natural continuation of that family lineage, Xie said, as Yang Yang is his uncle — his mother's elder brother. Fu Shuang's lineage is famous. "Her father is no one else but the real-world inspiration behind Po, the main character of Kung Fu Panda 2," Xie said.

Fu Shuang enjoys bamboo at Zoo Atlanta on the opening day on Friday. Photo by May Zhou / China Daily

Xie pointed to Atlanta residents' pride when bamboo from their properties was selected to feed the pandas. He also said the FedEx Panda Express carrying Ping Ping and Fu Shuang was the most tracked international flight in the world. 

"The arrival of the new pair of pandas is China's sincere response to the aspirations of the American people," Xie said. "Love for pandas is everywhere we turn."

Xie said panda conservation success in the US contributed to "a joint China-US solution to global biodiversity protection" and serves "as a compelling example of how China and the United States working together can get a lot of big and great things done".

Sonny Perdue, a former Georgia governor, veterinarian and chancellor of the University System of Georgia, recalled helping examine Mei Lan, Zoo Atlanta's first panda cub, in December 2006, when the cub was nearly four months old.

"I got to weigh and measure the little cub, who was fourteen pounds at that point," Perdue said. "So I'm glad that my degree as a veterinarian came in handy during that effort as governor."

He said Atlanta was proud to be home to one of only three US zoos with giant pandas and to participate in international conservation partnerships that promote goodwill.

King welcomed delegates from the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, the China Wildlife Conservation Association, the Chinese Embassy as well as supporters and partners for the panda conservation programs from Atlanta.

"This extraordinary spirit of partnership helps create a future for a species that is truly beloved the world over," King said. "For some, a visit to the Arthur and Blank Panda Grove will become a cherished family memory. For others, it may spark a lifelong interest in wildlife, a commitment to conservation, or even a future career caring for animals."

The Chinese Embassy provided an all-day cultural experience for enthusiastic panda visitors on the opening day, many of whom came from out of the state. Panda visitors enjoyed gifts such as panda toys, stickers, post cards, and headbands. Some tried their hands on Chinese calligraphy and making book markers. 

mayzhou@chinadaiyusa.com