Xiangxiang, a giant panda in Japan, will return to China on February 21. February 19 is the last day that the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo is open for viewing "Xiangxiang". A large number of Japanese people went to say goodbye to them, and some people could not help but cry, and it was difficult to hide their reluctance. Meanwhile, Yongming, a giant panda from Adventure World in Shirahama Town, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, will also return to China on February 22 with his twin daughters Sakurahama and Momohama.
Xiangxiang, a 5-year-old female giant panda in Ueno Zoo, was born in June 2017 to Chinese giant pandas "Bili" and "Fairy" in Japan. In December 2017, "Xiangxiang" made its public debut, and on the first day of its appearance, the winning rate of applying to visit "Xiangxiang" was about 46 times.
Since the parents of "Xiangxiang" are giant pandas lent from China, the ownership of the children also belongs to China. "Xiangxiang" was originally scheduled to return to China at the end of 2020, but has been postponed several times due to the impact of the new crown epidemic and other factors. According to the relevant agreement, "Xiangxiang" will finally return to China on February 21, 2023. It is understood that according to the plan, after "Xiangxiang" leaves for China on the 21st, the parents of "Xiangxiang" and their dragon and phoenix babies "Xiaoxiao" and "Leilei" will continue to stay in Ueno Zoo.
According to information released by Ueno Zoo, since January 21, visitors to "Koka" will be visited by a pre-draw system, and visitors can submit lottery applications through the website after January 6, and up to 2,600 people will be selected every day. On February 19, the last day of the opening of Ueno Zoo for "Xiangxiang", the winners lined up to say goodbye to "Xiangxiang". Since each winning person can only stay in the venue for 1 to 2 minutes, you can see someone waving goodbye to "Xiangxiang" in tears when the time expires. Some of the people who did not win the lottery also rushed to the outside of Ueno Zoo to feel the atmosphere. A woman in her 40s who lives in Saitama City said that although she was not selected for the lot, she could not enter the garden to see Xiangxiang, "but because today is the last day of Koka's public appearance, I want to come here and breathe the same air as Koka."
The "Ueno Counseling Center" near Ueno Zoo is called the "Giant Panda Consultation Center" by giant panda fans because it displays more than 200 kinds of giant panda commemorative goods. On the 19th, it also attracted a large number of people to rush to buy commemorative goods.
In order to express their gratitude, various farewell events are held in the local area. According to the Japan Broadcasting Association (NHK), a department store in Ueno hung an 18-meter-long advertising banner on the exterior wall, using a large number of photos of "incense" to create mosaic art and write "Daisuki," a Japanese kana meaning "very loved." A photo exhibition was also held in the store, displaying a total of 920 photographs documenting the daily life of "Xiangxiang". A gift shop that sells panda merchandise has a booth in one area of the store that mainly displays giant panda plush dolls.
Japan's Kyodo News Agency described "Xiangxiang" as a "signature girl" who captivates tourists with cuteness and cuteness. Last year, on Kaka's fifth birthday, a huge five-story poster reading "Happy Giant Pandas" was hung outside a department store building in Ueno, Tokyo, as a way to send birthday wishes to Kaka. There are also many merchants who have also "rubbed hot spots", from dolls and snacks to stationery and wallets, launching various peripheral goods, many of which are snapped up after a few hours of being on sale. Some restaurants even make sushi in the shape of a panda, and some department stores have launched limited-time discounts, and held in-store photo exhibitions and AR games of "scanning the code to find Xiangxiang" to promote customers to enter the store.
In June last year, some Japanese experts estimated that Xiangxiang had brought Japan at least about 2.7 billion yuan in economic benefits, equivalent to 1.3 times the cost of building Tokyo Skytree.
On February 19, 2023, local time, Tokyo, Japan, Ueno Zoo, people came to bid farewell to the female giant panda Xiangxiang, and some people shed tears.
February 19, 2023, Ueno Zoo, Tokyo, Japan, visitors seize the last opportunity to photograph Xiangxiang.
February 19, 2023, Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, Japan, tourists who did not want to smell the fragrance could not help but wipe their tears.
Visitors wearing panda culture shirts at Ueno Zoo, Tokyo, Japan, February 19, 2023.
On December 18, 2017, the giant panda "Xiangxiang" of Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, Japan, will be publicly unveiled to meet visitors.
On June 11, 2018, at Ueno Zoo, Tokyo, Japan, the giant panda "Xiangxiang" will celebrate its first birthday on the 12th, and the zoo has prepared a hammock for "Xiangxiang" as a birthday gift.
On November 13, 2018, Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, Japan, officially separated the cub "Xiangxiang" from her mother "Zhenzhen", giving "Xiangxiang" more independent life. Deputy Director Hirobumi Watanabe said, "Because this is a necessary step for growth, we will pay attention to and protect it. ”
On February 1, 2018, in Tokyo, Japan, tourists visit the panda "Xiangxiang" at Ueno Zoo. It is reported that at 5 a.m. that day, a large number of tourists were waiting outside the zoo gate, and by 8:30, more than 300 people had lined up.
On January 12, 2018, Tokyo, Japan, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike held up a "Panda Xiangxiang" doll at a press conference.
On August 5, 2017, Osaka, Japan, the departure ceremony of the Giant Panda-themed Express launched by West Japan Railway Company was held.
Buskers in the Ueno shopping district distribute paper hats on the streets of Tokyo, Japan, June 12, 2017, to celebrate the birth of a baby by Majin, a female giant panda at Ueno Zoo.
November 28, 2017, Tokyo, Japan, the panda "Xiangxiang" appeared as one of the hot dolls in the news of the year, along with hot elements such as Princess Mako and her fiancé.
On January 12, 2022, at the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, Japan, twin pandas "Xiaoxiao" and "Leilei" made their first public appearance, and visitors selected T-shirts printed with themed patterns.
On September 14, 2022, Yongmei, a giant panda in Japan living in Adventure World in Shirahama Town, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, celebrated its 30th birthday, and park staff held a birthday celebration for it. The 30-year-old "Yongming" is equivalent to about 90 years old for humans. "Sun Ming" is said to be the world's longest-lived giant panda that mates and breeds naturally in captivity. On December 17, 2022, the giant panda "Yongming" was appointed as the "China-Japan Friendship Envoy". In 1994, "Yongming" came to Japan from China and bred 16 giant panda cubs in "Adventure World".
On December 6, 2018, "Adventure World" in Shirahama Town, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, a panda-shaped steamed bun is being sold.
On December 6, 2018, at the "Adventure World" in Shirahama Town, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, visitors choose panda-themed peripheral products in the store.
Children hold panda-themed candies in Tokyo, Japan, June 12, 2017.
December 9, 2020, Tokyo, Japan, as Xiangxiang was originally scheduled to be sent back to China at the end of that year, various send-off events were held in the Ueno area to express reluctance, gratitude and blessings.
Souvenirs and posters related to pandas near Ueno Zoo, Tokyo, February 22, 2011. Late on the night of the 21st, after a long journey of more than 30 hours, the giant pandas "Fairy" and "Bili" from Sichuan, China, arrived at the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, Japan.
*Image source: Visual China
Source: Interface News