As the Lunar New Year bell rings in the distance, our national treasure, the giant panda, also feels a strong festive atmosphere in a foreign country. On February 9, the Giant Panda Pavilion at the Moscow Zoo celebrated the Chinese New Year with a special twist. This event not only prepared a sumptuous festive feast for the giant pandas, but also attracted many Chinese and Russian people to participate in the grand event and witness this warm and festive moment.
Early that morning, the Giant Panda Pavilion of the Moscow Zoo was decorated with red lanterns, which swayed in the wind, as if telling ancient Chinese stories, creating a festive environment full of Chinese elements for the giant pandas. To the excitement of the pandas, they also received a special Chinese New Year gift – a well-prepared Chinese New Year meal.
It is understood that this feast was specially customized by the zoo's keepers according to the eating habits and taste preferences of Chinese giant pandas. The meal not only included fresh bamboo, apples and other panda favorite foods, but also some traditional Chinese food elements, such as special panda biscuits and red dates, which symbolize good luck. This meal is not only nutritious, but also full of strong Chinese flavor, so that the giant pandas can enjoy the food while also feeling the charm of Chinese culture.
In addition to the delicious food enjoyed by the giant pandas, the highlight of the day was that all visitors with the same name as the giant panda cub "Katyusha" in Russia can visit the zoo for free. This initiative not only attracted a large number of Russian people to participate, but also made the name "Katyusha" widely praised among China and Russia. Many parents bring their children to the zoo in the hope of getting up close and personal with the giant panda cub named "Katyusha" and experiencing the joy of this special holiday together.
At the event, people said that the Chinese New Year celebration not only allowed them to feel the cuteness and simplicity of the giant pandas up close, but also gave them a deeper understanding of Chinese culture and traditions. Many Russians are full of praise for the giant panda, a national treasure of China, and have expressed their hope that there will be more opportunities to have close contact with giant pandas in the future.
In addition, the Moscow Zoo also said that the event aims to strengthen cultural exchanges and cooperation between China and Russia, and let more people understand and love Chinese culture through the giant panda as a friendly messenger. In the future, Moscow Zoo will continue to devote itself to the conservation and research of giant pandas, and hopes to promote people-to-people exchanges and friendship between China and Russia through more similar activities.
Photographer: Tian Bing
It is worth mentioning that the Moscow Zoo currently has three giant pandas - "Ruyi", "Ding Ding" and "Katyusha", a giant panda cub born in August 2023. Since their arrival in Moscow, these three giant pandas have been warmly welcomed and loved by the people of China and Russia. They not only live very comfortably in the zoo, but also often participate in various public welfare activities and diplomatic occasions, and have become important envoys of Sino-Russian friendship.
As the Lunar New Year celebrations come to an end, we can't help but feel relieved that the giant pandas are living happily in a foreign land. I believe that in the future, the friendship between China and Russia will be as deep and lasting as a giant panda, and we will write a better chapter together. And we look forward to more stories and legends about giant pandas, which will continue to be passed on and carried forward through continuous exchanges.