See Bao Li and Qing Bao: New giant pandas spark excitement, gather fans at National Zoo
WASHINGTON – Little has altered Frances Nguyen’s life more than the pandas at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo.
Their relationship began in 2006 when Nguyen tuned into the zoo’s "Giant Panda Cam" and watched a mother panda care for her newborn cub. The scene struck her deeply, resurfacing memories of when she was separated from her parents during the Vietnam War. From that moment, Nguyen said, she has been caught in a kind of loving bear trap.
She bought a professional-grade camera to document the animals, her first foray into photography. The shy federal employee started the conservation group “Pandas Unlimited,” which introduced her to many of her closest friends. But the pandas went on to occupy an even bigger role in her life: They became matchmakers.
She met her husband, Foo Cheung, in front of the zoo’s panda habitat after Cheung, a scientist who dabbled in animal photography, joined the group Nguyen had started. They married two years later and went on to have two children – both named after the bears that brought them together.
Now, after more than a year without seeing her favorite animals, Nguyen – along with countless panda fanatics – is ready to welcome Bao Li and Qing Bao, the latest bears loaned by China as part of its decades-long "panda diplomacy” program. The bears made their public debut Friday.
More: How to see the National Zoo's new giant pandas
“This is a new era,” Nguyen, 51, said. “I get to start early and watch them grow. My children get to see them grow, too.”
The 3-year-old pandas arrived in Washington in October after a 19-hour flight aboard the "FedEx Panda Express" from Chengdu, in China’s Sichuan province. They replaced three pandas – Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, and their cub, Xiao Qi Ji – who returned to China when their lease expired in November 2023.
It was the first time the National Zoo had been without giant pandas since 1972 when the first panda ambassadors arrived in Washington following a historic visit to China by then-President Richard Nixon.
Amid tenuous diplomatic relations between the U.S. and China, many feared giant pandas might not return to Washington, but a new agreement came together in a matter of months.
The Smithsonian’s National Zoo has since prepared for the resurgence of panda mania in the capital city, recruiting staff and volunteers including those involved in its wildly popular “Giant Panda Cam.”
Last year, the zoo saw a 20% drop in visitors, which it attributes, in part, to the departure of its giant pandas in late 2023. Since the announcement of Bao Li and Qing Bao's arrival, the zoo has gained more than 1,000 new members. Many bought memberships to attend a series of preview events where they could see the pandas before Jan. 24 – an offering that helped acclimate the bears to crowds of adoring fans before their debut.
Their official unveiling on Friday marks not only the continuation of a special brand of U.S.-China diplomacy but also the pandas' enduring popularity in Washington, where their images are sold on T-shirts, emblazoned on public transit cards and painted on murals.
“They’re just something everyone in D.C. can agree on loving,” said Liz Charboneau, a longtime zoo patron who has lived in Washington for 10 years. “They’re a bright spot for the city.”
'Exactly what I hoped for': New pandas debut to the public
A small group of panda devotees braved the freezing temperatures on Friday to be among the first to see the bears on the morning of their gala debut. Some traveled from hundreds of miles away.
Lisa Barham, 46, and her son Jayden, 5, drove from Cleveland, Ohio, to Washington for the event. They secured one of the first spots in line around 5:30 a.m.
“It’s just adorable,” Barham said as she watched Bao Li munch on a pawful of bamboo. She first visited the National Zoo in 2013 when Bao Li’s mother, Bao Bao, was born. Friday’s event, she said, presented the perfect opportunity for their children to meet.
“I got to see Bao Bao and here is the new generation,” she said. “This time I got to bring my little boy so this is exactly what I hoped for.”
Marta Diaz, 32, flew from Puerto Rico so she could walk through the gates of the zoo’s Asia Trail just as it opened. As she turned one of the first corners, she caught sight of Qing Bao pacing around the snow-laden field.
“I love them so much,” she said as she stood on her toes, trying to get a better view over other people at the railing.
The National Zoo and its pandas occupy a special place in Diaz’s heart. The giant bears were the favorite animal of her sister, Venus, who died from cancer in 2003. Since then, Diaz's affection for pandas has steadily grown, which she credits to their irresistible "cuteness" and how they remind her of her older sister.
“They're just like her – the way they lay around and don’t like to do too much,” Diaz laughed. “That’s how she was.”
'Awe-inspiring': Museum members get an early look at the new pandas
Ahead of the public debut, some museum members had a chance to see them early.
Anne Bossi, a New Jersey resident who for decades has visited the zoo at least four times a year, was on her computer the moment early tickets went live.
The 72-year-old secured eight passes, and with a group of relatives stood in front of the furry animals, switching between waving "hello" and taking dozens of photos and videos.
There was plenty to see: Bao Li scarfed down bamboo and played with an inner tube, keeping it in the air with his front and back legs. Then he rolled around in the snow.
“I haven’t been to the zoo in probably over 40 years, and to see them up close – it was pretty awe-inspiring,” said Lynn Kinsel, Bossi’s niece. “They were almost putting on a show for us.”
Qing Bao, known among zookeepers as a shy and contemplative panda, spent time on her climbing gym before sitting down to enjoy the bamboo special.
“We had a 9:30 time slot, so I guess it was breakfast time,” Kinsel, 59, said.
Charboneau, who purchased a membership to see the pandas early, caught Bao Li and Qing Bao while they were napping.
“They were both asleep,” she laughed. “I really missed out because everybody else I know – and all the other pictures I saw from that day – showed them playing.”
Charboneau, Kinsel and Bossi, like the countless panda fans around the world, are drawn to the bears' seemingly infinite charm – an aspect of the animals that still enthralls zoo officials.
"I've been working with these animals for 16 years, and I still want to stop and marvel at the extreme cuteness of these animals," said Brandie Smith, the director of the National Zoo, during an appearance on the Paste BN podcast "The Excerpt."
Smith said being in the presence of a giant panda is a rare opportunity. The only other place in the U.S. where people can see the black-and-white bears outside of Washington is the San Diego Zoo. Within the last decade, the once-endangered species have been reclassified from "endangered" to "vulnerable."
"They're not just rare in the wild, but they're rare in zoos," Smith said. "When you see one, that's a special opportunity. Most people on the planet won't have an opportunity to see a giant panda."
New pandas stir familiar feelings
Nguyen was among the panda devotees who got an early look at the new bears. To her, it was like reconnecting with old friends – especially since one of the pandas has deep ties to Washington.
Bao Li, born in China, is the third generation of his panda family to live in the nation’s capital. His mother, Bao Bao, was born at the zoo in 2013. His grandparents, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, called the National Zoo home for over two decades before they were sent back to China in November 2023.
It was these bears as well as their cub, Tai Shan, that sparked Nguyen’s enduring fascination with giant pandas.
"Watching these animals interact, it just filled me in ways that I didn't understand," she said. "Being there made me smile. Made me laugh. It was such a happy place."
Nguyen began spending most weekends at the zoo, arriving as soon as the gates opened and staying until closing time, filling up hard drives with thousands of pictures and videos of Tai Shan and his parents. She felt a kinship with the animals and felt it was her duty to document their lives.
When Tai Shan was sent to China and separated from his parents, Nguyen was heartbroken.
"We were crying," she said, recalling the snowy day in February 2009 when he was placed into a crate and taken out of the National Zoo. "It was so sad ... he was like our first panda."
She felt similar anguish when Tai Shan's parents went back to China in November 2023.
Over the past year, she still visited the zoo often, stopping by the empty panda habitat where she would reflect on the countless hours she spent there and hope for the pandas' eventual return. It didn't take long for her prayers to be answered.
When she attended the member preview on Jan. 10 and saw Bao Li slide on his belly in the snow, it felt like a piece of her heart was restored.
“Words can’t describe how happy I was,” she said. “It was that old feeling. And then going in with my husband – to the place where we met – it was just so special.”