Gao Fuhua, from Lushan County, Sichuan Province, is a member of Sichuan Writers' Association and a senior reporter of Ya 'an Daily. He is the author of History of the Giant Panda (1869-2019), Basi ,the Peace Messenger Panda, Walking through the Giant Panda Village, and other books. Among them, Bass’ hundred years of wind and rain was selected into the 2006 annual reportage collection of China Writers Association.
Around 4 billion years ago, organisms came into being on the earth. Since then, about 500 million species had emerged, but only nearly 10 million have survived into the modern era.
The giant panda, or the panda, a rare species that ??rst appeared as early as 8 million years ago, has retained its original appearance and kept its physiological habits over the years, becoming the living fossil of animals on the earth today and the relic of primitive organisms.
Appearing on the earth much earlier than the human civilization, giant pandas survived geological vicissitude and Quaternary glaciations, and are now inhabiting the mountains and valleys to the east of the Tibetan Plateau.
Beyond our imagination and despite a short history since humans got to know the giant panda—150 years after its discovery by French naturalist Jean Pierre Armand David in China in 1869, this animal became universally known soon after its discovery, and got the name “panda”.It also has many nicknames such as FEater, black-and-white bear and bamboo bear. Giant pandas are the focus of attention wherever they are, as they are not just a national treasure of China, but also precious natural and historical heritage attracting people across the globe.
As a rare animal in the world as well as in China, the giant panda is few in number, no more than 2000 with the wild and the captive combined. But giant pandas and their habitats have drawn worldwide attention since they are ??agship species to be protected for biodiversity.
The giant panda is the logo of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the giant panda ??ag can still be seen ??uttering around the world. The giant panda has borne witness to major international sports events like the Asian Games and the Olympic Games as the mascot. The giant panda habitat in China has been included on the World Heritage List.
Shortly after the founding of the People’s Republic of China (1949), giant pandas were given to other countries and regions as gifts with unique cultural elements of the East. As a symbol of peace and friendship, the essence of the Chinese culture, giant pandas have deepened relations between the peoples of China and other nations, treasured by the whole world.
But to protect its national treasure and ensure their reproduction, China has stopped doing so and begun partnering with other nations to study giant pandas since the 1980s.
Over the past 150 years, giant pandas have been adored by the people around the world. They have attracted global attention for their diverse value and great charm.
Today, a giant panda national park spanning from Sichuan and Shaanxi to Gansu has been built along the giant panda habitat corridor in China, with the aim of protecting the authenticity and integrity of natural ecosystems, preserving biodiversity, protecting ecological buffer zones, and leaving behind precious natural assets for future generations with a national effort. This wild national park will help preserve biodiversity with giant pandas living with their companion species and enable us to pursue harmony between humans and nature.
On this planet there should be not only humans but also giant pandas and their companion species to preserve biodiversity. Then our world will remain gorgeous, picturesque and enchanting.
