萌萌的熊猫  外交官”

Lovely  Panda Diplomats

Pandas are not only a national treasure， but are loved around the world.

A giant panda cub born in last August at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo， US， was given the name Xiao Qi Ji （little miracle）. The choice was the result of a five-day online vote that drew nearly 135，000 voters in the US. Interestingly， National Public Radio said that in a nod to Chinese tradition， the name was not chosen until 100 days after the birth.

This cub’s birth proved to be quite inspiring—and at a time when inspiration was truly needed.

“Xiao Qi Ji’s birth is a true miracle that has been so uplifting to all of us during the pandemic，” Chinese Ambassador to the US Cui Tiankai said in a video congratulatory message. “We are connected again in the growth of our little ambassador， and in our shared joy and friendship.”

The furry black-and-white animals have played an important role in the country’s diplomacy， known as “panda diplomacy”.

熊猫不仅是中国的国宝，而且深受全世界的喜爱。

史密森學会国家动物园一只在2020年8月出生的大熊猫幼崽获名“小奇迹”。美国近13.5万人经过五天的线上投票，最终选出了这个名字。有趣的是，美国国家公共电台称，为尊重中国传统，熊猫宝宝出生百日后才取了这个名字。

这只幼崽的诞生非常鼓舞人心——是在人们确确实实需要鼓舞的时候。

“‘小奇迹’的诞生是一个真正的奇迹，疫情之下，所有人都为此备感鼓舞。”中国驻美国大使崔天凯在一段祝贺视频中表示，“这位‘小大使’的成长再次把我们联系到了一起，让我们分享欢愉，再续友谊。”

这种毛茸茸的、黑白相间的动物在中国外交舞台上扮演着重要角色，被称为“熊猫外交”。

According to the Japanese Royal Annual， the practice dates back to the Tang Dynasty， when Empress Wu Zetian sent a pair of pandas to the Japanese emperor.

China revived panda diplomacy in the 1950s when China sent two pandas to the Moscow Zoo. By 1982， China had given 23 pandas to nine different countries. However， most of them have died. China stopped giving away pandas in the early 1980s. Instead， the animals are loaned to other countries. In general， they are to be returned to China after 10 years.

But why do these cute “diplomats” find it hard to survive in other countries？ According to Xinhua， their dietary habit is one significant reason. Their nutrition mostly comes from bamboo shoots. Adult giant pandas consume about 40 kilograms of bamboo daily. Pandas can also be quite picky. They refuse to eat bamboo shoots after they have blossomed.

It takes 10 years for a new crop of bamboo to mature， and many countries do not have an environment suitable for bamboo growth. This means that food has to be imported. Last August， Calgary Zoo in Canada announced that due to pandemic-related changes in its import laws and quarantine methods， they couldn’t provide enough fresh bamboo for pandas. This meant that they had to send two giant pandas back to China.

But countries are still trying their best to facilitate this special type of diplomacy. “We don’t own pandas， but the whole world wants to help save the panda， and we do that through our knowledge exchange，” Steven Monfort， director of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo， told China Daily.

据《日本皇家年鉴》记载，“熊猫外交”可追溯到唐代，当时女皇武则天赠给日本天皇一对大熊猫。

20世纪50年代，我国恢复了“熊猫外交”，将两只大熊猫送往莫斯科动物园。截至1982年，中国将23只熊猫赠予9个国家。然而，这些大熊猫多数均死亡。20世纪80年代初，中国不再赠送大熊猫，而是将大熊猫租借于别国。通常，这些熊猫会在10年后返回中国。

為什么这些可爱的“外交官”很难在其他国家生存呢？据新华社报道，熊猫的饮食习惯是一个重要原因。它们的营养补给大多来自竹笋。成年大熊猫每天约消耗40千克的竹子。而且大熊猫非常挑食，不吃开了花的竹笋。

一批新竹子需要10年才能成熟，而且许多国家没有适宜竹子生长的环境。这就意味着需要进口食物。2020年8月，加拿大卡尔加里动物园宣布，由于疫情导致进口法规和检疫方法有变，他们无法为大熊猫提供充足的新鲜竹子。这意味着他们不得不把两只大熊猫送回中国。

但各国依旧正在尽全力促进这种特殊外交。“我们并不拥有大熊猫，但全世界都想努力拯救大熊猫，我们通过交流知识来做到这点。”史密森学会国家动物园主管史蒂文·蒙福特在接受《中国日报》采访时表示。

Word Study

ambassador /æm'bæsədə（r）/ n. 大使;使节

loan /ləʊn/ v. 借出;贷与 n. 贷款;借款

The bank is happy to loan money to small businesses.

It took three years to repay my student loan.

import /'ɪmpɔːt/ v. & n. 进口;输入;引进

The country has to import most of its raw materials.

The report calls for a ban on the import of waste.

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