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April 20, 2019

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Hometown bridges: the mayor, the priest and the giant panda

Source: Xinhua | 00:05 UTC+8 April 20, 2019 | Print Edition

BAOXING, a quiet town in steep mountains and desolate canyons of southwest China, was enlivened by the arrival of 47 French guests on Monday to honor the first foreigner to encounter the giant panda.

About a century ago, Father Armand David, a French Catholic priest, zoologist and botanist, came across a black and white fur hide in Baoxing County in the city of Ya’an, Sichuan Province. It was found to belong to a species completely unknown to science: Ailuropoda melanoleuca, the giant panda.

As homage to Pere David, as he is popularly known, and with the desire to visit China, a group from David’s hometown, Espelette, came to the village 150 years on, including descendants of David’s brother.

The journey was organized by Andre Darraidou who was unable to make the trip. The former mayor of Espelette passed away last week.

Panda culture

Darraidou made four trips to China, the first in 2000 to follow in the footsteps of David and the most recent in 2017, actively planning for the 150th anniversary of the giant panda’s scientific recognition.

During his trip in 2004, Darraidou worked for a while as a chef in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan, using peppers from his hometown to cook traditional Sichuan dishes. He donated all the proceeds to Baoxing for the construction of a giant panda exhibition hall.

On Monday morning, beside the exhibition hall located in the county’s Catholic church where David lived, two glasses of wine were set up next to Darraidou’s picture.

His Chinese friend Gao Fuhua told those assembled that Darraidou was a friendly man, only able to speak simple Mandarin like nihao (hello) and xiexie (thanks). He added that in Sichuan, famous for its spicy food, he never showed any discomfort at the table and ate whatever the locals were eating.

Both locals and French guests agreed that Darraidou was the bridge between their two small towns.

For nearly 130 of the 150 years since David discovered the panda skin, the two worlds were totally isolated. Darraidou’s frequent visits drew the interest of the French ambassador to China and other dignitaries, and Baoxing became well known to foreigners as the “hometown” of the panda.

“It is a dream for all the French to see pandas,” said Jean Marie Iputcha, the incumbent mayor of Espelette. “Seeing pandas at the zoo is different from watching them in their natural environment. We feel that they are happier in their hometown.”

In the Bifengxia Nature Reserve, the French guests watched giant pandas climbing up and down the trees, hanging upside down and munching on bamboo, a stark contrast to the specimen in the Natural History Museum in Paris.

Jean David, 72, the great-grandson of David’s brother, was surprised by China’s endeavors to preserve the church where David stayed and the history of the giant panda’s discovery.

“I hope mine and my brother’s children can not only come to visit China, but also learn Chinese, because China is both today and the future,” said Jean David.

Keep in touch

Iputcha is to retire next year, but he hopes to keep in touch with Sun Qian as he found “the exchanges between Sichuan and Espelette important.”

Sun, former vice mayor of Ya’an, has been an enthusiastic partner of Darraidou since they first met in 2000.

He spent 10 years studying the history and culture of the giant panda before he compiled a book entitled “Notes of the Giant Panda Culture.” The book is published in Chinese, French and English.

Oriane Duchemin, 17, is the youngest member in the French group. She did not hear about David until six months ago when she and her parents prepared for the trip.

“I want to become an ambassador when I come back home and tell my friends and others my experience here and David’s story about pandas,” said Duchemin.

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