Photo taken on Aug. 4, 2017 shows a screen shot of the pregnant panda Huan Huan in ZooParc de Beauval in Saint-Aignan, France. The giant female panda Huan Huan, which is on loan to France from China, will give birth to the twins under the watchful eye of two Chinese birthing specialists on either Aug. 4 or 5. (Xinhua/Chen Yichen)
by Yin Xia
BRUSSELS, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- A new panda mania has hit France after female giant panda Huan Huan gave birth to twin panda cubs at the Beauval zoo in central France late Friday night.
Though one of the twin cubs died later, the birth of the baby panda still brought enormous joy and cheers across the nation.
However, the panda mania in France right now is not something new in Europe, after the continent has been swept by several others so far this year, during which China-Europe ties are getting ever closer.
GREAT JOY DESPITE REGRET
The birth of the cub is the first of a panda in France and drew attention of French people of all circles since the announcement of the pregnancy.
Huan Huan and her male partner Yuan Zi, whoes names meaning "joy" and "chubby" respectively, are on loan to France from China and arrived in Beauval zoo in January 2012. They are due to return to China in 2022 and the new born baby will stay in France until the age of two or three.
In her first delivery, Huan Huan "was very calm" and has given birth to two cubs at an interval of a few minutes, said the zoo. The first panda cub was born at 10:18 p.m. local time (2018 GMT), and the other came 14 minutes later.
In the wild, female pandas raise only one cub which has the most chances of survival, and abandon the second. Huan Huan took care of the first cub immediately after its birth, but chose the second cub and abandoned the first after the second cub was born.
The first cub was put immediately to the incubator but was announced dead shortly, the zoo announced with regret.
Despite the sad news, the birth of the panda baby enjoyed warm welcome by French people as tens of thousands of people have viewed the video of the new born cub at the zoo's page of Facebook. And officials of the zoo has announced earlier that France's first lady Brigitte Macron would be named godmother of the new born panda cub.
"PANDA MANIA" SWEEPS EUROPE
There are some 2,000 giant pandas in the world. Most of these endangered black and white-colored bears inhabit inside China, while just over 40 pandas are living overseas, with nearly half of them in Europe.
In the year of 2017 alone, two European countries, the Netherlands and Germany, received arrivals of four pandas.
And whenever and wherever they go, a "panda mania" is always inevitable.
In April, when a special cargo flight transporting two pandas landed in the Netherlands, hundreds of people watching the live broadcast in a nearby hall erupted into applause.
Children who waited at the scene either screamed in excitement, or held their breath in awe for their first meeting with the two three-year old pandas named Xing Ya and Wu Wen.
For those who don't know what is happening, it's very easily for them to mistake the scene for a grand welcome to idol by fans.
Before the panda pair traveled to the Netherlands, China had only agreed to carry out joint research on pandas with 12 countries, among which six in Europe, namely the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Austria, Spain and Belgium.
This celebrity welcome happened wherever the adorable panda bears go.
Just two months later, it was staged again in Berlin, where a pair of pandas, Meng Meng and Jiao Qing, arrived on a 15-year conservation and breeding program. The zoo even opened an on-line blog for them to brief the public on the everyday progress it made to greet the animals.
FLUFFY AMBASSADORS
Panda, as an endangered species native only to China, has been seen as a very strong gesture of friendship from China once they are allowed to travel to another country.
There's no difference for those living in Europe.
2017 marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the Netherlands. Martijn van Dam, Dutch State Secretary for Economic Affairs said, "Wu Wen and Xing Ya underline these good developments."
Former Dutch prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende said "if pandas are lent to a country, it is an expression of friendship and connection. This significant 'panda moment' marks the beginning of a new chapter in our relations."
As for Germany, the arrival of a pair of pandas is a vivid reflection of the robust growth of China-Germany relations. Trust between the two sides has reached new highs since the relationship was lifted to a comprehensive strategic partnership in March 2014.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and German Chancellor Angela Merkel attended the official opening ceremony of the Panda Garden at Zoo Berlin.
At the opening ceremony, Xi expressed the hope that Meng Meng and Jiao Qing will serve as new ambassadors promoting friendship between the two peoples.
At the same time, Merkel said the German people have made great efforts to provide a comfortable home for the long-awaited pandas.
The arrival of the two special envoys showcases the new development of Germany-China ties, she said, adding that Germany will take this opportunity to deepen bilateral cultural and people-to-people exchanges.
French magazine Le Point said that the pandas are much more than simple two-tone fluffs: they are true ambassadors.
