U.S. national zoo holds housewarming event inside giant panda house

The Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington D.C. held a housewarming event inside the giant panda house on Saturday to celebrate the completion of a new visitor exhibit.

A giant panda eats bamboo in the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington D.C. on February 23, 2019. [Photo：China Plus/ Liu Kun]

The celebration featured frozen treats for giant pandas and red pandas, as well as interactive games and activities for visitors.

The new exhibit, according to the zoo, teaches visitors about the ecology, history, reproduction, conservation and care of giant pandas and enables them to learn about these unique bears and their natural habitat.

It also chronicles "the advances that panda scientists in China and at the Smithsonian have made during the past four decades."

"So much has changed for giant pandas, for the better, in the past decade," Steven Monfort, the John and Adrienne Mars Director of the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, said in a statement.

"This updated exhibit is really inspiring because it shows how much of a difference we can make with science and cooperation," he said, noting that "Smithsonian and Chinese scientists have been collaborating for decades, and visitors can see the results of our work as they walk through the panda house."

"Giant pandas are China's national treasures," said Minister Xu Xueyuan, the Chinese embassy in the United States. "Although they are large in size, they are also charming, tolerant, and peace-loving, representing many values of China itself, and are loved by people all over the world."

"Giant pandas are also symbolic of the China-U.S. friendship," she told a ceremony at the giant panda house.

The housewarming was jointly hosted by the zoo and the Chinese embassy.

Giant pandas live mainly in southwest China's Sichuan Province as well as neighboring Shaanxi and Gansu.