Home > Panda Watch > Archives > 2006 > December > 10 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USChinese adoptees to sing at panda-naming party
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
They are Americans, many still new to this four-lane land where neon competes with sunrise.
They also are Chinese, natives of an ancient place that has given the world one of the most beloved creatures ever to walk the planet.
On Friday, when they sing during the naming ceremony for Zoo Atlanta’s baby panda, the girls will be ambassadors whose smiles beam in both directions — east and west.
Twenty metro Atlanta girls, ages 5 to 11, will be part of the celebration commemorating the 100-day anniversary of the cub’s birth. Born Sept. 6, the giant panda cub will get a name, selected from among 10 candidates by online voters. As of last Friday, more than 42,000 votes had been submitted from around the world. Voting ended at midnight Sunday.
And, as Chinese dignitaries, state and zoo officials, panda fans and others watch, the girls, each of whom got American parents through Chinese Children Adoption International, will do their bit. They’ll sing “Panda Mimi,” a Chinese tune about a panda and her baby.
“This is part of their heritage, their culture,” said Anne McSweeney of Alpharetta, who handles promotions for the Georgia office of the Colorado-based nonprofit organization. She and her husband, Steve, adopted a 1-year-old from China last year.
“I’m really blown away by the work the girls have put into it,” McSweeney said. “It’s kind of a big deal.”
A big deal indeed. The cub’s naming will cap years of planning for her conception and birth, months of keeping a constant eye on her growth, and hours of nearly nonstop smiles over how well she’s grown. A panda cub that has lived 100 days has an excellent chance of surviving to adulthood.
On Thursday, the 99th day of the cub’s life, she will undergo her usual weekly checkup — with a slight twist. Instead of the zoo’s senior veterinarian, Dr. Zhang Zhihe of the Chengdu Base of Giant Panda Breeding, in Atlanta specifically for the celebration, will conduct the exam. Chengdu is the permanent home of the cub’s parents, Lun Lun and Yang Yang.
That evening, Zoo Atlanta will host a 99th-night reception and dinner. Its co-host is the Georgia Department of Economic Development, which wants to establish closer ties with the country that gave pandas to the world.
Then, on Friday at 10 a.m., the baby’s name will be announced. The zoo has set aside 250 spaces for ticket holders to watch the live, televised announcement. They’ll gather in the Coca-Cola World Studio at the zoo’s Action Resource Center for the ceremony. As of Friday, 201 tickets had been sold.
A handful of others — zoo officials, Chinese visitors and others who have had a hand in the panda’s birth and development — will be nearby in the center’s Ford Conference Room, where they’ll announce the name.
The 20 singers? Ten will perform for ticket holders, and an equal number will sing for the visiting Chinese and others. Their song will be the same, as will their mission — ambassadors smiling at their new land and their old.
Comments
By TheOne
December 11, 2006 07:53 AM | Link to this
I wish I could be there on Friday….but there’s only 8 more days til my vacation…..so I’ll wait and go then.
By Jenn
December 12, 2006 11:16 AM | Link to this
I knew I wouldn’t be the only one to have a personal name for the baby. My boyfriend and I have been watching her grow up before our very eyes the past 4 months and the cutie, ‘butt butt’. HA! We love checking in on Lun Lun & baby every day and have been caught at our jobs doing so! I voted for “Ming Shing” as her new name.
By wvgal_dana
December 15, 2006 10:34 AM | Link to this
Our group Eaglet_Momsters that watch the pair of eagles that have nest in a sycamore tree near Shepherdstown W.Va. Have watched this panda cub since birth. One of the gals came up with a name that stuck “Buta Buta” because she born the size of a stick of butter. We even have gals from the UK that watch Buta Buta. All different states all over the USA. So we did go in and vote for her China name but to us she will always be “Buta Buta”. There is a young cub named Tai in DC Zoo that would make a very good match later for “Buta Buta”. Also the webcam for the eagles is being fixed and will be showing soon a very good picture that refreshes. They are also going to have “live feed” on the eagles we have name Liberty and Belle. Keep checking out this link for when it is fixed and running good: http://www.fws.gov/nctc/cam/ Enjoy