Thousands of heartbroken fans bid a tearful goodbye to Tokyo’s beloved pandas, Ri Ri and Shin Shin, as they prepare to return to their homeland in China. This emotional event highlights the deep connection between these captivating creatures and the city that has cherished them for over a decade.
The Panda Procession
Tens of thousands gathered on Tokyo streets that were bustling with panda-minded folk to say farewell forever to Ri Ri and Shin Shin, who are the objects of their adulation in the Ueno Zoological Gardens. Clad in clothes featuring the black and white bears, from tee-shirts to hats, sun umbrellas bedecked with various images of the creatures, fans good-naturedly waved at the pandas beaming back, snapping selfies and summoning up memories of one more encounter.
Others such as Mayuko Sumida had been there since the previous night; with picnic blankets and camping chairs she was biding her time, hoping to see the pandas one last time before they go. You cannot blame these ardent fans for crying their hearts out since they felt the bond with the pandas and were very grateful about how much joy and pain relief “those China crikkers” ( what is it sounded as in Mel’s Singapore-Chinese accent) brought to them.
The Panda Diplomacy Legacy
Pandas around the world are typically greeted with warm economic embrace, and ultimately China’s panda diplomacy has contibuted to building bridges among nations. Take Ri Ri and Shin Shin, who came to Ueno Zoo in 2011 as part of this cultural interchange; they have been the delight of visitors ever since. The expected departure of the pandas for China was met with both sadness and gratitude from Japanese.
Losing these pandas is quite sad, though, as they have been an important part of the Ueno Zoo community for more than ten years. Their success at the zoo, such as with the popular cub Xiang Xiang whose birth was announced in 2017, made them stars genuinelyupported by. For people such as Machiko Seki and Michiyo Matoba, who have no family of their own and regard the pandas as gifted to them just when they needed a little love, it is practically a matter of life and death.
While Japan and China are at odds politically in recent years, this love knows no such bounds. Or as Matoba put it: “I wish Japan and China could be friends, just like pandas.” Throughout the period, the pandas gave China a role as facilitator of mutual understanding and goodwill between two countries.
Conclusion
In Japan, Mei-Mei was the female panda’s name; and in Tokyo, it gutted an entire city of animal lovers when she and her partner Shin-Shin (his nickname) said their parting farewell. For thousands, these mesmerizing creatures have brought happiness, solace and a sense of connection since wild animal acts were first introduced. In this way, the pandas will return to their homeland, a moving culmination of the centuries-old history of panda diplomacy and the continued power that these cuddly animals have to unite peoples across political and cultural boundaries. Their exit may be a little melancholic, but the memories and inspiration they gifted to their audience would be remembered for years.
