Topic > Saving Panda Essay - 943

Based on the book “The Last Panda” written by George Schaller, it reveals that in ancient China, warning armies even used to raise flags decorated with images of pandas when they wanted to stop fighting and discuss their problems peacefully (Schaller). The panda symbolized peace and friendship. It facilitates peaceful relationship between the two parties. In modern society, similar policies are undertaken to improve and facilitate relations between China and many countries around the world. It's called “Panda diplomacy”. Pandas have been used as a means to enter into political discussions with other countries since the founding of the Chinese Communist Party (Hogenboom). The footprint of these pandas has been all over the world, from Japan to the United States. This act could be seen as a friendly political way to ease relations between China and foreign countries. China's panda diplomacy existed as early as the Tang Dynasty. It was Empress Wu Zetian (624-705) who gave a pair to the Emperor of Japan as a goodwill gift (Magnier). Giving away such a rare and precious object to another country is an action to demonstrate that China would like to build a friendly and compromising relationship with the receiving party. For example, the relationship between China and Taiwan has been hostile for a long time as Taiwan wanted to gain its independence