Opinion | Panda diplomacy: Washington needs another ‘little miracle’
- Miracle baby Xiao Qi Ji and his parents are set to leave the National Zoo in Washington unless Beijing extends the panda loan. Dare we hope that the US and China can put their differences aside?
For a world in isolation, for people feeling lost, inept, mortal and fearful of destiny, the coming of Xiao Qi Ji – which is Mandarin for “Little Miracle” – on August 21, 2020, revived a feeling of hope and optimism.
We learned the baby was coming mere days before the birth – we couldn’t contain our excitement. There are so many obstacles to the welcoming of a new life when giant pandas have just one chance a year to get pregnant – a precious window of a few days in spring – captive males tend to be uninterested, and false pregnancies are common.
More than a million bore witness to Xiao Qi Ji’s live-streamed birth; we hoped for a strong future for him. With every bit of progress, from his one-month medical review to his wobbly first steps as a three-month-old, we celebrated.
His adorable personality quickly come into focus: playful, curious, distrustful of surprises like his father, sweet and sassy like his mother. He was weaned and became independent. His slide down the hill during Washington’s first snowstorm last year was pure joy to see. In August, he turned three, a college kid in panda years. Where did the years go? As he devoured his cake of frozen apple and pineapple juice in the torrid heat, who could help but be captivated?
