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Witness History: ‘Panda diplomacy’: China gifts pandas to Taiwan

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‘Panda diplomacy’: China gifts pandas to Taiwan

03/06/2024 GMT

BBC World Service - Witness History, ‘Panda diplomacy’: China gifts pandas to Taiwan

Giant pandas, Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan, were sent to Taiwan from China as a gift in 2008

Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan, two giant pandas were sent to Taiwan from China as a gift in 2008.  The practice of ‘panda diplomacy’ is thought to date back as far as the 7th Century.

In 2008, panda-mania hit Taiwan when China gifted the country two giant pandas.

This practice known as ‘panda diplomacy’ is thought to date back as far as the 7th Century.

Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan flew into Taiwan and became instant celebrities.

Eve Chen, curator of the Giant Panda House at Taipei Zoo says: “They were extremely cute and adorable. You could call them like the handsome and the beauty, like the Barbie and Ken in a panda.”

Eve tells Gill Kearsley about their arrival and what it meant to Taiwan. 

(Photo: Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan in China. Credit: Visual China Group via Getty Images.)

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‘Panda diplomacy’: China gifts pandas to Taiwan

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