Editing Giant panda (section)

==Human interaction==

===Early references===
{{Main|Mo (Chinese zoology)}}
In Ancient China, people thought pandas to be rare and noble creatures – the [[Empress Dowager Bo]] was buried with a panda skull in her vault. The grandson of [[Emperor Taizong of Tang]] is said to have given Japan two pandas and a sheet of panda skin as a sign of goodwill. Unlike many other animals in [[history of China|Ancient China]], pandas were rarely thought to have medical uses. The few known uses include the Sichuan tribal peoples' use of panda urine to melt accidentally swallowed needles, and the use of panda pelts to control [[menstruation]] as described in the [[Qin dynasty]] encyclopedia ''[[Erya]]''.{{sfn|Schaller|1993|p=61}}

The creature named ''mo'' (貘) mentioned in some ancient books has been interpreted as giant panda.{{sfn|Schaller|1993|p=61}} The dictionary ''[[Shuowen Jiezi]]'' ([[Eastern Han Dynasty]]) says that the ''mo'', from [[Shu (state)|Shu]] (Sichuan), is bear-like, but yellow-and-black,<ref>[http://chinese.dsturgeon.net/text.pl?node=26160&if=en&searchu=%E8%B2%98#n32614 Shuowen Jiezi, Chapter 10, radical 豸]: "貘：似熊而黃黑色，出蜀中" ("''Mo'': like bear, but yellow-and-black, comes from [[Shu (state)|Shu]]").</ref> although the older ''[[Erya]]'' describes ''mo'' simply as a "white leopard".<ref>[http://chinese.dsturgeon.net/text.pl?node=39144&if=en Erya, Chapter "釋獸" ("About animals")] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211204024424/https://ctext.org/er-ya/shi-shou |date=4 December 2021 }}: "貘，白豹" (''Mo'', white leopard).</ref> The interpretation of the legendary fierce creature ''[[pixiu]]'' (貔貅) as referring to the giant panda is also common.<ref>[http://www.kepu.net.cn/english/giantpanda/giantpanda_know/200409230028.html China Giant Panda Museum: Historical Records in Ancient China] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120706193346/http://www.kepu.net.cn/english/giantpanda/giantpanda_know/200409230028.html |date=6 July 2012 }}. Supposed Chinese historical terminology appears in the Chinese version of this article, [http://www.kepu.net.cn/gb/lives/panda/know/now001.html 我国古代的历史记载] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120706193346/http://www.kepu.net.cn/gb/lives/panda/know/now001.html |date=6 July 2012 }}</ref>

During the reign of the [[Yongle Emperor]] (early 15th century), his relative from [[Kaifeng]] sent him a captured ''[[zouyu]]'' ([[:zh:騶虞|騶虞]]), and another ''zouyu'' was sighted in [[Shandong]]. ''Zouyu'' is a legendary "righteous" animal, which, similarly to a ''[[qilin]]'', only appears during the rule of a benevolent and sincere monarch.<ref>{{Cite journal
|first=J.J.L.|last= Duyvendak|jstor=4527170
|title=The True Dates of the Chinese Maritime Expeditions in the Early Fifteenth Century The True Dates of the Chinese Maritime Expeditions in the Early Fifteenth Century
|journal=T'oung Pao |series=Second Series| volume= 34|issue= 5|year=1939|page=402
}}</ref>

===In captivity===
{{Main|Giant pandas around the world|List of giant pandas|Panda diplomacy}}
{{category see also|Individual giant pandas}}

Pandas have been kept in zoos as early as the [[Western Han Dynasty]] in China, where the writer [[Sima Xiangru]] noted that the panda was the most treasured animal in the emperor's garden of exotic animals in the capital [[Chang'an]] (present [[Xi'an]]). Not until the 1950s were pandas again recorded to have been exhibited in China's zoos.{{sfn|Schaller|1993|p=62}} [[Chi Chi (giant panda)|Chi Chi]] at the [[London Zoo]] became very popular. This influenced the [[World Wildlife Fund]] to use a panda as its symbol.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/finder/giantpanda/panda.html |access-date=26 October 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120809023057/http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/finder/giantpanda/panda.html |archive-date=9 August 2012 |title=Giant Panda: Overview |publisher=World Wildlife Fund}}</ref> A 2006 ''[[New York Times]]'' article outlined the economics of keeping pandas,<ref name="nytimesgoodman">{{cite news |last=Goodman |first=Brenda |date=12 February 2006 |title=Eats Shoots, Leaves and Much of Zoos' Budgets |work=The New York Times |location=Atlanta |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/12/national/12panda.html |url-status=live |access-date=9 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110623023205/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/12/national/12panda.html |archive-date=23 June 2011}}</ref> which costs five times more than keeping the next most expensive animal, an elephant. American zoos generally pay the Chinese government $1&nbsp;million a year in fees, as part of a typical ten-year contract. San Diego's contract with China was to expire in 2008, but got a five-year extension at about half of the previous yearly cost.<ref>{{cite web |date=13 December 2008 |title=Zoo negotiates lower price to rent bears from China |url=http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20081213-9999-1n13panda.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090216084730/http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20081213-9999-1n13panda.html |archive-date=16 February 2009 |access-date=23 May 2009 |publisher=SignOnSanDiego.com}}</ref> The last contract, with the [[Memphis Zoo]] in [[Memphis, Tennessee]], ended in 2013.<ref name="nytimesgoodman" />

[[File:Lightmatter panda.jpg|thumb|right|Adult male giant panda at the San Diego Zoo in 2004]]In the 1970s, gifts of giant pandas to American and Japanese zoos formed an important part of the diplomacy of the People's Republic of China (PRC), as it marked some of the first cultural exchanges between China and the West. This practice has been termed "[[panda diplomacy]]".<ref name="buckingham">{{Cite journal|last1=Buckingham|first1=Kathleen Carmel |last2=David|first2=Jonathan Neil William|last3=Jepson|first3=Paul|date=September 2013|title=Environmental Reviews and Case Studies: Diplomats and Refugees: Panda Diplomacy, Soft "Cuddly" Power, and the New Trajectory in Panda Conservation |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/environmental-practice/article/environmental-reviews-and-case-studies-diplomats-and-refugees-panda-diplomacy-soft-cuddly-power-and-the-new-trajectory-in-panda-conservation/A23238335C47C1717417060B7AAB05AF|journal=Environmental Practice|volume=15|issue=3|pages=262–270|doi=10.1017/S1466046613000185|s2cid=154378167|issn=1466-0466|access-date=18 January 2020|archive-date=11 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200411040351/https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/environmental-practice/article/environmental-reviews-and-case-studies-diplomats-and-refugees-panda-diplomacy-soft-cuddly-power-and-the-new-trajectory-in-panda-conservation/A23238335C47C1717417060B7AAB05AF|url-status=live}}</ref> By 1984, however, pandas were no longer given as gifts. Instead, China began to offer pandas to other nations only on 10-year loans for a fee of up to US$1,000,000 per year and with the provision that any cubs born during the loan are the property of China. As a result of this change in policy, nearly all the pandas in the world are owned by China, and pandas leased to foreign zoos and all cubs are eventually returned to China.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-09-16 |title=In memory of panda queen nicknamed "Granny Basi," five amazing things you may not know about pandas |url=https://www.newsweek.com/panda-trivia-basi-fun-facts-666169 |access-date=2022-06-03 |website=Newsweek |language=en |archive-date=3 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220603001052/https://www.newsweek.com/panda-trivia-basi-fun-facts-666169 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Fikes |first=Bradely |date=2019-03-25 |title=Last pandas at San Diego Zoo are leaving |url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/tourism/sd-sdi-fi-zoo-pandas-20190325-story.html |access-date=2022-06-03 |website=San Diego Union-Tribune |language=en-US |archive-date=4 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220604195752/https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/tourism/sd-sdi-fi-zoo-pandas-20190325-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> As of 2022, [[Xin Xin (giant panda)|Xin Xin]] at the [[Chapultepec Zoo]] in Mexico City, was the last living descendant of the gifted pandas.<ref>{{cite web |title=The last panda in Latin America? Mexico to decide what happens next |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/last-panda-latin-america-mexico-decide-happens-rcna57921 |website=NBC News |access-date=11 February 2024 |language=en |date=18 November 2022 |archive-date=24 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240224103243/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/last-panda-latin-america-mexico-decide-happens-rcna57921 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Since 1998, because of a [[World Wide Fund for Nature|WWF]] [[lawsuit]], the [[United States Fish and Wildlife Service]] only allows US zoos to import a panda if the zoo can ensure China channels more than half of its loan fee into [[conservation movement|conservation]] efforts for giant pandas and their habitat.<ref>{{FedReg|63|45839}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=History of Panda Conservation |website=World Wildlife Fund |url=https://wwf.panda.org/discover/knowledge_hub/endangered_species/giant_panda/panda/panda_evolutionary_history/ |access-date=2023-07-06 |date=2020 |archive-date=7 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230707162027/https://wwf.panda.org/discover/knowledge_hub/endangered_species/giant_panda/panda/panda_evolutionary_history/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In May 2005, China offered a breeding pair to [[Taiwan]]. The issue became embroiled in [[cross-Strait relations]] – due to both the underlying symbolism and technical issues such as whether the transfer would be considered "domestic" or "international" or whether any true conservation purpose would be served by the exchange.<ref>[http://www.newsweek.com/id/45901/ China's Panda Politics]. [[Newsweek]]. 15 October 2007. Retrieved 23 May 2008. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010223523/http://www.newsweek.com/id/45901/ |date=10 October 2012 }}</ref> A contest in 2006 to name the pandas was held in the mainland, resulting in the politically charged names [[Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan]] (from {{lang-zh|hp=tuanyuan|s=团圆|t=團圓|l=reunion}}, implying [[Chinese unification|reunification]]). China's offer was initially rejected by [[Chen Shui-bian]], then President of Taiwan. However, when [[Ma Ying-jeou]] assumed the presidency in 2008, the offer was accepted and the pandas arrived in December of that year.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/dec/23/china-taiwan-pandas China sends panda peace offering] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160927180947/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/dec/23/china-taiwan-pandas |date=27 September 2016 }}. [[The Guardian]]. 28 December 2008.</ref>

In the 2020s, certain "celebrity pandas" have gained a cult following amongst internet users, with dedicated fan accounts existing to keep tabs on the animals. Known as "giant panda fever" or "panda-monium", individual pandas are known to get billions of views and engagements on social media, as well as product lines specifically emulating them.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=America |first=Good Morning |title=Meet China's beloved celebrity pandas |url=https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/living/video/meet-chinas-beloved-celebrity-pandas-111541258 |access-date=2024-07-13 |website=Good Morning America |language=en}}</ref> At [[Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding]], certain of these "celebrity pandas" are known to garner hours-long lines specifically to see them.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-12-24 |title=Giant pandas at China base to shut out tourists every Monday from Christmas Day |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3246149/chinas-giant-pandas-chengdu-base-will-take-mondays-tourists-starting-christmas-day |access-date=2024-07-13 |website=South China Morning Post |language=en}}</ref>