Baby panda becomes symbol of warmth and friendship
Print Edition
BABY giant panda Nuan Nuan was named yesterday, becoming the latest symbol of warm relations between Malaysia and China.
“The name means friendliness and good-heartedness, which reflects the relations between China and Malaysia,” said Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, Malaysia’s environment minister.
Nuan Nuan, “warm” in Chinese, was chosen from more than 22,000 entries in a competition open to the public, he said.
Suggestions came not only from local Chinese people, but also from the majority Malay population.
The names submitted went through several selection rounds before nine were shortlisted by a panel of experts.
Nuan Nuan was finally chosen for its meaning and the fact that it stands for the warm relations enjoyed by the two countries, Wan Junaidi said.
The choice was agreed by the Chinese Wildlife Conservation Association and approved by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and his Cabinet, Wan Junaidi added.
Nuan Nuan was suggested by Oh Teik Peng, a school teacher. He said it suggested the warm character of the giant panda as well as warm bilateral relations.
It was not easy to come up with a good name, he said. “You have to do some research, find the suitable words, you also need to be focus on the sound, the name must be nice, easy to pronounce and nice to hear, at the same time the meaning must be meaningful,” he told reporters.
“I studied the characteristics of pandas. Why are pandas popular all around the world, not only in Malaysia? Basically they are very friendly, people want to see them because they are very tame, unlike other bears like grizzlies which can be quite frightening.”
Despite being fascinated by giant pandas, he said it was a real surprise for him to have won the naming competition.
The female was born on August 18 last year in Malaysia’s national zoo. Her parents, Xing Xing and Liang Liang, arrived in Malaysia on loan in 2014, marking the 40th anniversary of the establishment of relations between China and Malaysia.
The giant pandas have drawn visitors from all around the country to the national zoo, and panda lovers in Malaysia were delighted when the prime minister announced the birth.
Nuan Nuan was born less than 15 months after her parents arrived in the country, setting a record for the shortest period of time of successful natural breeding outside China, Wan Junaidi said.
The birth marked the close cooperation between experts from Malaysia and China, he said, adding that he hoped that the friendship, as reflected in the panda’s new name, would continue to blossom.
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