Pet names of the giant
panda couple, to be presented to the Taiwan compatriots as a
goodwill gift from the mainland, were unveiled in Beijing midnight
Saturday.
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The most favored names for the pandas, selected by the public via
the Internet voting or mobile phone short message ballots over a
three-week period, are "Tuan Tuan" and "Yuan Yuan", which have a
combined meaning of "reunion" literally.
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The names were announced at the annual
Spring Festival Eve entertainment party of China Central
Television (CCTV), live broadcast to hundreds of millions of
Chinese viewers worldwide.
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This year's Spring Festival, or the Chinese lunar New Year, falls
on Sunday.
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The two giant pandas, selected from 23 candidates, currently live
at the Wolong China Giant Panda Research Center in the southwestern
province of
Sichuan.
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Previously the two pandas were only known by their candidate
numbers, "No. 16" for the female one and "No.19" for the male.
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But the pandas do have their nicknames at the Wolong Center, which
are "Xiaoguaiguai" -- literally means "little darling" for the male
and "Huangmao Yatou" -- literally means "chit of a girl" for the
female.
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The mainland launched a public soliciting of the panda couple's pet
names on Jannuary 6, when the State Forestry Administration
unveiled the two bears' identity. By Jannuary 21, organizers of the
naming activity had received more than 70,000 pairs of name
suggestions for the couple.
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However, the mainland has said the right to give formal names to
the pandas rests with the Taiwan compatriots themselves.
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Organizers of the CCTV gala released a short list of 10 pairs of
pet names at 8:30 PM and at the same time started an audience
voting via the Internet, telephone and mobile phone short messages.
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"Tuan Tuan" and "Yuan Yuan" had been in the lead during the whole
voting process.
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More than 100 million people voted, the organizers said.
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Chen Yunlin, head of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State
Council, announced during then Kuomintang party chief Lien Chan's
mainland visit last May, that the mainland would donate a giant
panda couple to Taiwan compatriots as a gift embodying the
aspiration for peace, unity and fraternity of Chinese on both sides
of the Taiwan Straits.
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The selection of the couple started last August. Following
physical, genetic and psychological tests of 23 candidates, experts
in October produced a list of 11 giant pandas, two of which would
be made a match.
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The final decision was made after two months of cohabitation of the
11 giant pandas.
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However, when the giant panda couple would go to Taiwan remains a
question as the Taiwan authorities are still playing the admission
of the giant pandas as a political card.
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According to Taiwan media reports, the authorities on the island
said early this month that the giant pandas could not enter Taiwan
without permission.
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Giant panda is one of the world's most endangered species and is
found only in China. It is estimated that 1,590 giant pandas live
in the wild in China. Those in captivity totaled 183 in the Chinese
mainland at the end last year.
(Xinhua News Agency January 29, 2006)
