1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:05,080 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of iHeartRadio, 2 00:00:05,840 --> 00:00:09,880 Speaker 1: Hello and Welcome to This Day in History Class, a 3 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:13,160 Speaker 1: show that believes there's no time like the present to 4 00:00:13,280 --> 00:00:17,919 Speaker 1: learn about the past. I'm Gay Bluesier, and today we're 5 00:00:17,960 --> 00:00:22,759 Speaker 1: celebrating a long standing example of cross cultural collaboration between 6 00:00:22,760 --> 00:00:26,320 Speaker 1: the United States and China, one that began with the 7 00:00:26,400 --> 00:00:30,560 Speaker 1: arrival of two goodwill ambassadors who just so happened to 8 00:00:30,600 --> 00:00:45,400 Speaker 1: be adorable panda bears. The day was April sixteenth, nineteen 9 00:00:45,600 --> 00:00:50,519 Speaker 1: seventy two. The giant pandas ling Ling and Shingshing were 10 00:00:50,560 --> 00:00:54,280 Speaker 1: taken to their new home at the Smithsonian's National Zoo. 11 00:00:55,280 --> 00:00:58,240 Speaker 1: The eighteen month old pandas were the first of their 12 00:00:58,320 --> 00:01:00,440 Speaker 1: kind at the zoo and had been sent to the 13 00:01:00,520 --> 00:01:04,480 Speaker 1: United States as a gift from the Chinese government. President 14 00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:08,920 Speaker 1: Richard Nixon attempted to reciprocate by sending China a pair 15 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:13,600 Speaker 1: of musk oxen named Milton and Matilda, but Chinese zogoers 16 00:01:13,680 --> 00:01:17,520 Speaker 1: weren't impressed, as an unfortunate skin infection had caused the 17 00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:21,319 Speaker 1: oxen to shed most of their hair. Still, it's the 18 00:01:21,360 --> 00:01:24,600 Speaker 1: thought that counts, and the exchange of animals marked a 19 00:01:24,640 --> 00:01:28,880 Speaker 1: revival of an age old Chinese political practice known as 20 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:35,400 Speaker 1: panda diplomacy. Ling Ling and Shingshing weren't the first pandas 21 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:38,600 Speaker 1: to make their way to the United States. A handful 22 00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:40,959 Speaker 1: of the black and White bears had been obtained by 23 00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:44,440 Speaker 1: zoos in New York and Chicago during the nineteen thirties 24 00:01:44,480 --> 00:01:48,480 Speaker 1: and forties, But when a communist regime was established in 25 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:51,920 Speaker 1: China in nineteen forty nine and later fought against the 26 00:01:52,080 --> 00:01:55,760 Speaker 1: US during the Korean War, the US implemented a trade 27 00:01:55,840 --> 00:01:59,920 Speaker 1: embargo against China, removing the option of importing any more 28 00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:05,720 Speaker 1: pandas for the next couple decades. The situation finally changed 29 00:02:05,760 --> 00:02:10,000 Speaker 1: in February of nineteen seventy two, when President Richard Nixon 30 00:02:10,160 --> 00:02:14,000 Speaker 1: shocked the world by becoming the first sitting American president 31 00:02:14,160 --> 00:02:18,720 Speaker 1: in history to visit mainland China. The good will trip 32 00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:22,760 Speaker 1: included a visit with Chinese Premiere Jo and Lao in 33 00:02:22,800 --> 00:02:26,640 Speaker 1: the hope of improving relations between the two world superpowers. 34 00:02:27,600 --> 00:02:31,959 Speaker 1: First Lady Patricia pat Nixon accompanied her husband on the trip, 35 00:02:32,280 --> 00:02:35,120 Speaker 1: and during a state dinner in Beijing, she told the 36 00:02:35,200 --> 00:02:39,760 Speaker 1: Chinese premiere of her fondness for giant pandas as a 37 00:02:39,800 --> 00:02:43,560 Speaker 1: gesture of goodwill and to commemorate the Nixon's historic visit, 38 00:02:43,880 --> 00:02:47,600 Speaker 1: Premiere and Lai promised to send two giant pandas to 39 00:02:47,639 --> 00:02:51,160 Speaker 1: the United States, marking the animal's return to the country 40 00:02:51,320 --> 00:02:55,160 Speaker 1: for the first time since World War II. At the time, 41 00:02:55,320 --> 00:02:58,960 Speaker 1: it was exceedingly rare to find a living panda outside 42 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:02,800 Speaker 1: of its native habitat in China. The only exceptions were 43 00:03:02,840 --> 00:03:05,560 Speaker 1: the ones that had been gifted by China to zoos 44 00:03:05,639 --> 00:03:10,960 Speaker 1: in London, Moscow, and Pyongyang. American zoos knew the animal 45 00:03:10,960 --> 00:03:14,480 Speaker 1: would be a major draw for visitors, and several launched 46 00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:18,560 Speaker 1: elaborate campaigns vying for the honor of hosting the pandas. 47 00:03:19,360 --> 00:03:22,720 Speaker 1: In the end, President and Missus Nixon decided that the 48 00:03:22,840 --> 00:03:26,840 Speaker 1: National Zoo in Washington, d C. Was the most appropriate choice. 49 00:03:27,560 --> 00:03:30,320 Speaker 1: That was the zoo where all the other animals given 50 00:03:30,360 --> 00:03:33,680 Speaker 1: as diplomatic gestures resided, and since its part of the 51 00:03:33,720 --> 00:03:39,160 Speaker 1: Smithsonian Institution, admission would always be free. After a ten 52 00:03:39,280 --> 00:03:43,920 Speaker 1: thousand mile flight from Beijing with a brief stopover in Honolulu, 53 00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:47,920 Speaker 1: the plane carrying the precious panda cargo finally landed at 54 00:03:47,960 --> 00:03:52,160 Speaker 1: Andrew's Air Force Base on April sixteenth, nineteen seventy two. 55 00:03:53,040 --> 00:03:56,040 Speaker 1: Chinese officials had refused to reveal the names of the 56 00:03:56,080 --> 00:03:58,920 Speaker 1: pandas in advance, but on the day of their arrival, 57 00:03:59,120 --> 00:04:03,040 Speaker 1: their identities were finally announced to the public. The seventy 58 00:04:03,040 --> 00:04:07,240 Speaker 1: four pound male was named Shingshing, which roughly translates to 59 00:04:07,480 --> 00:04:11,000 Speaker 1: shining Star, and the one hundred and thirty six pound 60 00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:16,640 Speaker 1: female was named Lingling or Darling Girl. After landing in 61 00:04:16,800 --> 00:04:19,800 Speaker 1: Washington early that morning, the pandas were rushed to the 62 00:04:19,839 --> 00:04:24,000 Speaker 1: nearby zoo in a motorcade under heavy security. They spent 63 00:04:24,040 --> 00:04:27,240 Speaker 1: the next several days getting accustomed to their new enclosure, 64 00:04:27,560 --> 00:04:30,520 Speaker 1: and on April twentieth, they were officially presented to the 65 00:04:30,600 --> 00:04:35,359 Speaker 1: National Zoo during a welcoming ceremony. First Lady pat Nixon 66 00:04:35,480 --> 00:04:38,320 Speaker 1: was on hand for the occasion, and in a brief speech, 67 00:04:38,520 --> 00:04:41,440 Speaker 1: she told the crowd, quote on behalf of the people 68 00:04:41,520 --> 00:04:44,080 Speaker 1: of the United States. I am pleased to be here 69 00:04:44,320 --> 00:04:47,800 Speaker 1: and accept the precious gift of the Pandas. I think 70 00:04:47,839 --> 00:04:51,600 Speaker 1: that pandemonium is going to break out right here at 71 00:04:51,640 --> 00:04:56,640 Speaker 1: the zoo. Missus Nixon was certainly right about that. A 72 00:04:56,680 --> 00:05:01,080 Speaker 1: crowd of twenty thousand visitors turned out for Pandita. They 73 00:05:01,080 --> 00:05:04,080 Speaker 1: waited in long lines and stood ten deep in the 74 00:05:04,200 --> 00:05:10,120 Speaker 1: zoo's panda house, watching the animals every move with fascination. Admittedly, 75 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:13,839 Speaker 1: there wasn't all that much to see. The pandas slept 76 00:05:13,839 --> 00:05:17,360 Speaker 1: peacefully for most of the day, although Lingling, the more 77 00:05:17,400 --> 00:05:20,159 Speaker 1: active of the two, did provide a bit of amusement 78 00:05:20,320 --> 00:05:23,400 Speaker 1: when she picked up a pan of rice and soybean porridge, 79 00:05:23,520 --> 00:05:26,680 Speaker 1: licked it clean, and then donned the empty pan as 80 00:05:26,720 --> 00:05:30,479 Speaker 1: a hat. In the weeks that followed, public interest in 81 00:05:30,520 --> 00:05:34,040 Speaker 1: the pandas remained sky high, with more than a million 82 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:36,800 Speaker 1: visitors coming to see them during their first month at 83 00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:40,880 Speaker 1: the zoo. But the arrival of the giant pandas brought 84 00:05:40,920 --> 00:05:43,720 Speaker 1: a lot more than the simple pleasure of seeing them. 85 00:05:44,080 --> 00:05:48,080 Speaker 1: It also gave the Smithsonian scientists the rare opportunity to 86 00:05:48,200 --> 00:05:53,159 Speaker 1: study panda behavior and biology up close. One area of 87 00:05:53,240 --> 00:05:57,719 Speaker 1: particular interest were the panda's habits concerning mating, pregnancy, and 88 00:05:57,800 --> 00:06:02,520 Speaker 1: cub development. The National Zoo was eager to produce baby pandas, 89 00:06:02,800 --> 00:06:07,200 Speaker 1: especially since the animals were considered endangered at the time. However, 90 00:06:07,680 --> 00:06:12,280 Speaker 1: getting Shingshing and ling Ling to mate proved notoriously difficult. 91 00:06:12,960 --> 00:06:16,240 Speaker 1: The pair was kept apart to emulate panda behavior in 92 00:06:16,240 --> 00:06:19,400 Speaker 1: the wild, and they weren't allowed to interact until over 93 00:06:19,440 --> 00:06:24,560 Speaker 1: a year after their arrival, when Lingling went into heat. Unfortunately, 94 00:06:24,960 --> 00:06:27,719 Speaker 1: neither panda seemed to be in the mood, and when 95 00:06:27,800 --> 00:06:31,400 Speaker 1: Shingshing eventually did come around, he tried to mate with 96 00:06:31,520 --> 00:06:36,160 Speaker 1: ling Ling's ear, wrist, and foot, and although those attempts 97 00:06:36,200 --> 00:06:40,880 Speaker 1: were humorous, they did not result in pregnancy. Over the 98 00:06:40,920 --> 00:06:44,240 Speaker 1: next twenty years, the zoo tried everything it could think 99 00:06:44,279 --> 00:06:47,839 Speaker 1: of to get the pandas to breed, including artificial insemination, 100 00:06:48,600 --> 00:06:51,200 Speaker 1: and while those efforts did result in the birth of 101 00:06:51,320 --> 00:06:56,200 Speaker 1: five cubs, none of them survived more than a few days. 102 00:06:56,240 --> 00:07:00,159 Speaker 1: Despite those tragic losses, Shingshing and ling Ling proved to 103 00:07:00,160 --> 00:07:02,839 Speaker 1: be an endless source of joy for the American people. 104 00:07:03,520 --> 00:07:06,920 Speaker 1: The public sent fan mail addressed directly to the pandas, 105 00:07:07,200 --> 00:07:11,720 Speaker 1: including holiday cards and drawings from elementary students. A few 106 00:07:11,840 --> 00:07:16,040 Speaker 1: self styled casanovas wrote to Shingshing with advice on how 107 00:07:16,080 --> 00:07:19,720 Speaker 1: to woo his lady, and when ling Ling's cubs passed away, 108 00:07:20,200 --> 00:07:23,800 Speaker 1: mothers wrote to her, sharing their own struggles with fertility. 109 00:07:24,600 --> 00:07:28,000 Speaker 1: The bears never wrote back, of course, but every letter 110 00:07:28,160 --> 00:07:32,520 Speaker 1: sent received a thoughtful reply from zookeeper and Giant Panda 111 00:07:32,560 --> 00:07:38,080 Speaker 1: curator Lisa Stevens. Given that outpouring of love and support, 112 00:07:38,360 --> 00:07:41,560 Speaker 1: it's no surprise that the entire nation grieved at the 113 00:07:41,560 --> 00:07:45,400 Speaker 1: eventual passing of the giant pandas. Ling Ling was the 114 00:07:45,440 --> 00:07:48,760 Speaker 1: first to go, succumbing to heart failure in nineteen ninety 115 00:07:48,800 --> 00:07:52,560 Speaker 1: two at the age of twenty three. Seven years later, 116 00:07:52,840 --> 00:07:56,320 Speaker 1: Shingshing followed her when he passed away from kidney failure 117 00:07:56,560 --> 00:07:59,960 Speaker 1: at the age of twenty eight. Both bears had surp 118 00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:03,680 Speaker 1: past the life expectancy of wild pandas, which rarely make 119 00:08:03,720 --> 00:08:06,840 Speaker 1: it to twenty and the American public's embrace of them 120 00:08:07,160 --> 00:08:09,840 Speaker 1: ensured they wouldn't be the only pandas to call the 121 00:08:09,880 --> 00:08:15,040 Speaker 1: country home. In fact, just one year after Shing Shing's passing, 122 00:08:15,320 --> 00:08:18,080 Speaker 1: a new pair of giant pandas came to live at 123 00:08:18,080 --> 00:08:22,640 Speaker 1: the National Zoo, female Mai Shehong and male Tien Tien. 124 00:08:23,760 --> 00:08:27,559 Speaker 1: Unlike their predecessors, the second pair of pandas were only 125 00:08:27,600 --> 00:08:30,480 Speaker 1: on loan from China, with the understanding that they would 126 00:08:30,520 --> 00:08:34,560 Speaker 1: eventually be returned along with any cubs born during their stay. 127 00:08:35,840 --> 00:08:38,599 Speaker 1: May Shehong went on to birth seven cubs at the 128 00:08:38,679 --> 00:08:43,000 Speaker 1: National Zoo, four of which have survived to adulthood. As 129 00:08:43,040 --> 00:08:46,160 Speaker 1: of twenty twenty three, all of the offspring, as well 130 00:08:46,200 --> 00:08:48,960 Speaker 1: as their parents, have been returned to China and now 131 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:52,200 Speaker 1: reside in the comfort and safety of the nation's Panda 132 00:08:52,280 --> 00:08:57,240 Speaker 1: Conservation and Research Center. The decades of collaboration between the 133 00:08:57,320 --> 00:09:01,480 Speaker 1: National Zoo and its Chinese partners has ately improved mankind's 134 00:09:01,559 --> 00:09:04,760 Speaker 1: understanding of how to care for giant pandas, both in 135 00:09:04,800 --> 00:09:09,040 Speaker 1: captivity and in the wild. As a result of those insights, 136 00:09:09,320 --> 00:09:13,160 Speaker 1: giant pandas are no longer classified as an endangered species 137 00:09:13,400 --> 00:09:18,120 Speaker 1: and were upgraded to vulnerable in twenty sixteen. The earlier 138 00:09:18,160 --> 00:09:21,640 Speaker 1: decline in the panda population has not only been halted, 139 00:09:21,840 --> 00:09:25,720 Speaker 1: but reversed. According to the most recent announcement from the 140 00:09:25,840 --> 00:09:30,600 Speaker 1: Chinese National Forestry and Grassland Administration, the number of wild 141 00:09:30,679 --> 00:09:34,720 Speaker 1: giant pandas in China has increased from about eleven hundred 142 00:09:34,800 --> 00:09:39,120 Speaker 1: in the nineteen eighties to nearly two thousand today. So 143 00:09:39,200 --> 00:09:42,760 Speaker 1: the next time someone tells you that diplomacy just doesn't work, 144 00:09:43,240 --> 00:09:50,000 Speaker 1: tell them that the giant panda begs to differ. I'm 145 00:09:50,040 --> 00:09:53,440 Speaker 1: Gabe Luzia, and hopefully you now know a little more 146 00:09:53,480 --> 00:09:57,160 Speaker 1: about history today than you did yesterday. If you'd like 147 00:09:57,200 --> 00:09:59,199 Speaker 1: to keep up with the show, you can follow us 148 00:09:59,280 --> 00:10:04,320 Speaker 1: on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at TDI HC Show, and 149 00:10:04,400 --> 00:10:07,160 Speaker 1: if you have any comments or suggestions, feel free to 150 00:10:07,200 --> 00:10:09,959 Speaker 1: send them my way by writing to This Day at 151 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:14,959 Speaker 1: iHeartMedia dot com. Thanks to Kasby Bias for producing the show, 152 00:10:15,120 --> 00:10:17,559 Speaker 1: and thanks to you for listening. I'll see you back 153 00:10:17,600 --> 00:10:33,040 Speaker 1: here again tomorrow for another day in History class.