The Celebrity Family

This book is a beautifully illustrated work of nature literature that tells the story of a panda named Hua Hua. Hua Hua shuffles when she walks and is not good at climbing trees. She has a short lower jaw with malocclusion， but a round， adorable， lively， and cheerful appearance. This book applies a lively and engaging narrative style and tells the inspirational story of Hua Hua’s growth from a weak and vulnerable cub， overcoming challenges， and becoming a beloved giant panda with optimism and composure.

“With a big head like a horseshoe crab， short legs like a turtle， a pointed muzzle like a fox， a side profile like a guinea pig， and ears folded up resembling a seal.” Surprisingly， all these features belong to a giant panda. Her name is He Hua， but those who love her call her Hua Hua， which means “l(fā)ittle flower” in Chinese. Hua Hua has a twin brother named He Ye.

At the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding， Hua Hua is described as follows： He Hua， female， pedigree number 1237， short lower jaw， pointed snout， short and chubby fur， slow movements， not good at climbing trees. When describing Hua Hua’s appearance， some say she has a high nose bridge， small ears， and thick black eye circles that are wider on top and narrower below， resembling two inverted commas with bilateral symmetry written by a brush.

From these descriptions， it is evident that Hua Hua is indeed as beautiful as a lotus flower. Her features are delicate and highly recognizable. Her short and slender muzzle gives her a perpetual smile. Hua Hua is graceful， serene， and lively.

It is said that daughters resemble their fathers， and Hua Hua is no exception. Her looks and personality are perfectly inherited from her father， Mei Lan.

Hua Hua’s father is a returnee panda， born on September 6， 2006， in Atlanta， USA， with pedigree number 649. On December 15， 2006， on his 100th day of birth， the American public voted through the internet and named this newborn baby “Mei Lan，” with one of the meanings being “the beauty of Atlanta.” Mei Lan’s arrival caused a sensation in the United States， and he was successfully elected as the “Person of the Year” for that year， becoming a well-known superstar.

Mei Lan’s father is the panda Yang Yang， and his mother is the panda Lun Lun. In November 1999， Yang Yang and Lun Lun arrived in Atlanta together， starting their lives in the United States. Mei Lan is the first baby of Yang Yang and Lun Lun， inheriting his mother’s looks and temperament.

Lun Lun’s maternal love touched people’s hearts. She is an elegant and gentle mother， taking meticulous care of Mei Lan. Her dedication is unimaginable. The lively and active Mei Lan has caused trouble for his mother countless times.

In their daily life， wherever Mei Lan went， Lun Lun followed. Whenever Lun Lun felt that climbing trees was dangerous for Mei Lan， she promptly brought the child down. She is just like a human mother， constantly worrying about her child’s safety. However， children need to grow and learn to live independently.

Under the care of his mother， Mei Lan grew up strong and became a giant panda with distinct black and white fur， graceful posture， and elegant temperament. Mei Lan is calm， chewing his food slowly， walking with light steps， and playing deliberately. The Atlanta Zoo had always believed that Mei Lan is a female giant panda， and the name Mei Lan also means “beautiful girl of Atlanta.” This misunderstanding led to a hilarious mix-up during his later blind dates.

On February 5， 2010， Mei Lan and Tai Shan， born at the National Zoo in Washington， D.C.， traveled together on the FedEx Panda Express， a Boeing 777， to return to their hometown， Chengdu， and start a new life.

Mei Lan is the center of attention. Wherever he goes， he receives widespread attention.

On March 27， 2010， as a global ambassador for Earth Hour， Mei Lan attended the lights-off ceremony. Earth Hour is a global energy-saving activity initiated by the World Wildlife Fund （WWF） to address global climate change. It advocates that households and businesses turn off unnecessary lights and electrical appliances for one hour at 8：30 p.m. local time on the last Saturday of March each year to show support for climate change action. The WWF deeply connects with giant pandas， as their logo features a panda modeled after the panda Ji Ji.

At 8：30 p.m. on March 27， 2010， Mei Lan used his mouth to “pull” the rope and turn off the lights in his enclosure. On March 26， 2011， Mei Lan once again attended the Earth Hour lights-off ceremony and turned off the power to the ice sculpture giant panda in his enclosure.

Time flies， Mei Lan reached the age of marriage. For this reason， the Chengdu Research Base prepared many potential partners for this “beauty，” hoping to find her a good match. Among the candidate pandas were Kobe， Le Shan， Le Shui， Long Bin， Xiong Bin， Yong Yong， Zhen Da， and Wu Yi.

Mei Lan’s potential suitors were all quite remarkable. Kobe was born on July 26， 1992， coinciding with the opening of the Barcelona Olympics. The then-president of the International Olympic Committee， Samaranch， named him “Kobe” after the mascot of the Barcelona Olympics. Wu Yi was the lightest born among the pandas in captivity at the time and created a miracle of life， being named after his weight of only 51 grams. Zhen Da is Wu Yi’s twin brother.

After a vote by netizens， Yong Yong emerged as the chosen one among the eight pandas.

However， things went differently planned. Mei Lan showed no interest in the “handsome” suitors， leaving everyone confused. In September 2011， Mei Lan exhibited signs of sexual maturity as a male panda. Experts discovered through testing that Mei Lan was a male， and everyone suddenly realized the truth. However， due to his charming appearance and quiet personality， even after his gender was determined， Mei Lan continued to be referred to as “Big Sister” by those who loved him.

After reclaiming his status as a “handsome male，” Mei Lan has had many partners and has become a heroic father with numerous offspring. His mates include Qi Fu， Meng Meng， Si Yuan， Ji Li， Xing Ya， Cheng Gong and Cheng Da. His sons include Meng Lan， Si Nian， Si Yunyun， Ji Mei， Fu Shun， Xing Guang， Cheng Lan， He Feng， and He Ye. His daughters include Qi Qiao， Qi Xi， Ji Lan， Fu Lai， Xing Chen， Da Mei， Meng Bao， Meng Yu， He Yu， Ji Xiao， Cheng Feng， Cheng Long， Fu Duo Duo， and He Hua.

Of course， among Mei Lan’s daughters， we must mention the beloved and cherished He Hua， also called Hua Hua.

Panda Hua Hua

Jiang Lin

Sichuan People’s Publishing House

May 2023

68.00 （CNY）

Jiang Lin

Jiang Lin is a member of China Writers Association， a contracted writer of the Bajin Literary Institute and the Chengdu Literature Institute， and the vice dean of the Chengdu Youth Literature Institute.