Beijing News Express According to the website of the Chinese Embassy in France, on November 18, 2021, the naming ceremony of the giant panda twin cubs "Huan Li Li" and "Yuan Tu Tu" in France was held at the Beauval Zoo in France, and The Chinese Olympic diving champion Zhang Jiaqi and the French football player Mbappe jointly named the cubs. More than 1,000 people attended the event, including Yu Jinsong, chargé d'affaires a.i. of the Embassy in France, Le Mouinate, Secretary of State of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bono, Chairman of the Central-Loire Valley Regional Council, Pesno, Governor of loire-Cher, Director of the Beauval Zoo, and more than 1,000 people from all walks of life in France.
In early winter, the Beauval Zoo is full of colours and a cheerful and friendly atmosphere. The panda pavilion "Top of China" is full of people and joy, and two cute baby pandas appear in front of the public for the first time, very well-behaved and agile, and endearing. Under the eager expectation of the guests, Yu Jinsong's chargé d'affaires ad hoc, Zhang Jiaqi, Lemuwana and Mbappe jointly unveiled the name. The twin cubs of the giant pandas in France were officially named "Huan Li Li" and "Round Toot", and there were bursts of applause and cheers at the scene.
The "Huan" of "Huan Li Li" is taken from the panda mother "Huan Huan", "Li Li" means "Paris"; the "circle" of "Yuan Du Du" is taken from the panda father "Yuan Zai", and "Tu Du" means "Chengdu", pinning the wishes and expectations of the people of the two countries for their healthy and happy growth and the continuation of Sino-French friendship.
(On the left is "Huan Li Li", on the right is "Yuan Du Du")
According to Chinese childcare experts, the "Huan Li Li" and "Yuan Du Du" born in August this year have been around for 100 days, and their weight has increased from 149 grams and 128 grams at birth to nearly 6 kg. The sister "Huan Li Li" has a long mouth, fluffy hair, and looks closer to her father's "round boy". The younger sister "Round Toot" has a black nose and the periphery of her mouth, inheriting the beauty of her mother's "Joy". The two baby pandas are already free to crawl and will soon learn to walk. It is not lonely to play with companions, and when playing and playing, "round toot" often has the upper hand.
In his speech, Chargé d'affaires ad interim Yu Jinsong said that with the joint efforts of China and France, the "Huan Huan" and "Yuanzai" settled down in France, imported Anding, and lived happily, adding a warm page to the history of Sino-French relations. The two giant panda cubs were jointly named by well-known Chinese and French athletes, which is a "cross-border" cooperation between the two countries in the field of ecology and sports, providing an innovative form for exchanges between China and France in various fields. Giant pandas carry the beautiful vision of "harmonious coexistence between man and nature" of human beings. It is believed that China and France will continue to jointly lead the cause of global biodiversity conservation and make greater contributions to building a community of life on earth.
Lemuarna said that in 2017, he personally witnessed the naming scene of the giant panda cub "Fulfilling the Dream", and today he was very happy to participate in the naming ceremony of "Huan Li Li" and "Yuan Du Du". In the past four years, three giant pandas have been born in France, which has really created a small miracle. The giant panda is a national treasure of China and a bridge between the two long-standing civilizations of the East and the West. France and China are leaders in global biodiversity conservation, and we believe that the two countries can carry out more cooperation in this field in the future.
Zhang Jiaqi said that he is very happy to become the naming person of the giant panda cubs in France and looks forward to accompanying the baby pandas to grow up healthily. People of different cultures, races and faiths have come together for the worship of nature, the pursuit of peace and fraternity, and sincerely hope that the "greater unity" in the Olympic motto will become a reality. In just over two months, the Beijing Winter Olympics mascot "Ice Pier" will once again unite the world in my hometown of Beijing. Looking forward to gathering with athletes from all over the world at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, and then visiting "Happy Li Li" and "Round Toot".
Mbappe said that it is a great honor to be the name of the two cute giant panda cubs of "Happy Lili" and "Round Toot", and wishes them healthy growth and brings more joy to the people of France and China. As a young generation in France, we are willing to actively participate in the protection of endangered animals and jointly protect the home of the earth.
Delrol, director of Boval Zoo, said that Boval Zoo has long carried out fruitful cooperation with China's Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base, and the two giant panda cubs of "Huan Li Li" and "Yuan Du Du" are growing happily and are expected to meet the public in mid-December. Boval Zoo is committed to wildlife conservation research and popular science education, and hopes to continue to work closely with China to jointly promote the cause of global biodiversity conservation.
Chargé d'affaires ad interim Yu Jinsong and Zhang Jiaqi also gave interviews to relevant Chinese media.
The atmosphere at the naming ceremony was friendly and warm, and the climax was repeated. More than a thousand people from all walks of life in France braved the cold of early winter to participate in the event, witnessing this festive moment together, which fully demonstrated the french people's concern and enthusiasm for giant pandas. Before the ceremony began, the Beauval Zoo played a popular science video of giant pandas and gave a detailed introduction to the living conditions of the giant panda "Huan Huan" and "Yuanzai" families in France.
Chinese media such as People's Daily, Xinhua News Agency, CCTV, China News Agency, CGTN, Phoenix Satellite TV, Chinese Satellite TV, European Times, and international and French mainstream media such as Reuters, Agence France-Presse, France Television 3, and Le Figaro newspaper conducted on-site coverage and interviews on the naming ceremony.
On January 15, 2012, "Huan Huan" and "Yuanzai" from the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base in Chengdu, China, arrived at the Beauval Zoo in France to officially open the Sino-French giant panda conservation cooperation research project. On August 4, 2017, "Huan Huan" gave birth to a male giant panda, becoming the first giant panda born in France, which was jointly named "Dream Fulfilled" by the wives of the two heads of state. On August 2 this year, "Huan Huan" gave birth to a pair of female twin cubs. In just about two weeks, more than 120,000 French netizens participated in the giant panda cub naming online voting activity initiated by the Beauval Zoo, and finally "Happy Lili" and "Yuantu Toot" received the most votes and stood out.
Edited by Xin Jing