Giant panda couple for Taiwan

In southwest China's Wolong Giant Panda Preserve and Research Center, Xiaoguaiguai and Huangmao Yatou are frolicking as usual on trees, totally unaware that they have become the eye catchers on the two sides across the Taiwan Strait.

Their names meaning in Chinese little darling and a chit of girl respectively, the pair of giant panda cubs are eventually chosen to be presented to the Taiwan compatriots, announced the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office on Friday.

Numbering 19 and 16, the two giant pandas are chosen from 23 candidates.

Chen Yunlin, director of the office, announced on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party's Central Committee and the State Council in May, 2005, when meeting Lien Chan, Kuomintang Chairman of the time, that the mainland people will present a pair of giant pandas, with the symbols of peace, unity and friendship, to the Taiwan compatriots.

Shortly after that, a panel was founded in August at the Wolong Giant Panda Preserve and Research Center, Sichuan Province, marking an official start of the beauty contest.

All the raisers had hoped for long that their "beloved children" could win from the most fierce competition and so was Li Guo, who cared for Xiaoguaiguai ever since the boy came to the world on Sept. 1, 2004.

Li said he has cherished deep affection with the panda cub.

Just hearing one call from Li, Xiaoguaiguai, who is playing on the tree, will swiftly turn his perfectly round head and crawl while rolling to the raiser.

"He always stretches out his front palm toward me with 'hem' sounds from his mouth, looking for something to eat or play with."

"This guy loves to stay with people. He always holds our legs, nibbling, and he will never let you go unless you play with him for a while," Li said.

Xiaoguaiguai comes from gentlefolk. His mother is the well-known returned America-born giant panda beauty Huamei.

As the eldest son of Huamei, the boy not only possesses good physique, but also inherits a pretty looking from his mother.

Xiaoguaiguai weighs 46 kilograms and his fiancee is two kg heavier.

"We all thought this gentlefolk descendant would choose a fair lady to spend the rest of his life, but Xiaoguaiguai showed his special interests to Huangmao Yatou, with a bit wild nature," Li said.

Different from most of her black-white kinsmen, the girl is brown-white and is regarded the beauty of Wolong, said her raiser Xu Yalin.

The female cub's mother Leilei is a wild giant panda of the famous Liangshan species, who was injured in the wild and saved by the staff of Wolong center.

Though losing her left front arm in the operation, Leilei has greater babysitting abilities. And influenced by her mother, strong maternity is also seen in Yatou, Xu said.

Li Desheng, senior engineer with Wolong Giant Panda Preserve and Research Center, said Yatou's wild lineage will enrich her genes and this will benefit her offsprings with Xiaoguaiguai.

The two cubs are playmates ever since they were born and they always stayed together in the match trial, Li said.

Yatou will take a rest on a tree after meal and Xiaoguaiguai always, quite voluntarily, follows her, he said.

The couple is a pair that get along most harmoniously with all the candidates and all were greatly impressed with their finding each other congenial, said Zhang Hemin, head of the panel selecting giant panda for Taiwan.

Source: Xinhua