Editing Giant panda (section)

===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>