Pandas set for 8,000-mile blind date in Atlanta

CHENGDU, China — They’ve never met, but Ping Ping and Fu Shuang are getting ready for the blind date of a lifetime. The two pandas are preparing to leave China on a nearly 8,000-mile trip to their new home in Atlanta.

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Ping Ping and Fu Shuang will make the lengthy journey from their current home in Chengdu, a city of over 20 million people in southwestern China.

While Ping Ping is an avid bamboo eater, Fu Shuang — whose name means “double happiness” — is playful but a bit timid. She also enjoys snacking on apples and resting her chin on her paw.

The pair will eventually be moved to another panda base farther south before they begin their journey to America.

“Since they have the black-and-white fur, that can make them look so cute,” 10-year-old Emma said.

“I’m in Chengdu to see an animal that represents China,” said 28-year-old Li Shu, who traveled for over 1,700 miles to visit the pandas. “I’m proud. I like them because they are cute.”

The pandas, whose travel date has not yet been announced, have never met. They will be sent to Atlanta as part of a new 10-year conservation agreement announced ahead of President Donald Trump’s visit to China.

In a statement, Zoo Atlanta said it was “delighted” and “honored” to continue conservation and research efforts alongside the China Wildlife Conservation Association.

“We can’t wait to meet Ping Ping and Fu Shuang and to welcome our Members, guests, city, and community back to the wonder and joy of giant pandas,” said Raymond B. King, president and CEO of Zoo Atlanta.

The zoo has housed a pair of pandas before, with Lun Lun and Yang Yang becoming star attractions there back in 1999. They called Atlanta home for 25 years and welcomed seven cubs in their time there, but returned to China in 2024.

China, the only country in the world where giant pandas live in the wild, keeps a firm handle on their international distribution. Beijing loans pandas to other countries but maintains ownership, including over any cubs they produce.

In recent years, China has resumed sending pandas to the U.S. as a gesture of goodwill.

In June 2024, two giant pandas were sent to San Diego, marking the first such arrival to the U.S. in more than two decades. Four months later, another pair — Bao Li and Qing Bao — arrived at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo.

The withdrawal of a country’s panda privileges has sometimes been interpreted as an act of displeasure by China. Japan’s last pandas were returned to China in January, with Tokyo’s relations with Beijing at their lowest point in years.

While not specifically tied to Trump’s visit, the latest gesture has parallels across history. In 1972, China’s Mao Zedong marked President Richard Nixon’s visit to China by gifting the United States two pandas, Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing.