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Infrared cameras set up by scientists in Sichuan province, have caught on film for the first time a wild panda eating meat. The panda was observed in Pingwu county gnawing on the bones of a dead wildebeest for about two hours. It's not known, however, if the panda killed the wildebeest. more ›

Six giant pandas, aged two to four years old, are scheduled to leave captivity and enter the wild on January 11, 2012. The pandas - named Xingrong, Xingya, Gongzai, Yingying, Zhizhi and Qiq - were deemed the most fit for release by a test that evaluated the physical condition and genetic origins of 108 animals housed in the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. more ›

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In December the world watched (and giggled) as panda researchers donned panda suits for the good of the species, in an effort to reduce human contact and prepare them for the wild. This time they dressed up for the transfer of Cao Cao and her cub Cao Gen to the outer ring of the Wuloong Panda Reserve in Sichuan. more ›

People love the pandas Shanghai shipped over from Sichuan for the Expo! So as a feel good start to this Tuesday morning, here's a video from The Telegraph's Malcolm Moore of super cute Chinese kids explaining in super cute detail exactly how super cute those Expo pandas are. more ›

On Friday we reported that Tai Shan's return to his Chinese roots might create a “normal” panda environment for the furry guy—one that would focus more on breeding and less on the panda cams and fan clubs of yesteryear. Well guess who just scored a corporate sponsorship, oodles of money and even more of a lifetime guarantee of fame and fortune? more ›

While China's busy being pissed off at the United States, maybe now's the best opportunity to talk about something, well, cuter and cuddlier between the two nations. See, the United States is about to change direction and make a rare export to China - namely, two giant pandas. Mei Lan, born in Atlanta in 2006 and Tai Shan, born in Washington, D.C. in 2005, are currently aboard a Boeing 777 freighter from Washington, D.C. to Beijing. more ›

If you're a giant fan of pandas, get your little legs a-running to the Shanghai Zoo now. The ten cubs flown in from Sichuan for the Expo are now on display! After nearly a month of quarantine, the panda cubs are “in good health and seemed in a good mood.” Plus, they’re totally pros at this stardom thing, according to Shanghai Daily, who praised how they showed “no anxiety but ate, slept and played lightheartedly” even as over 100 people crowded around to watch. Naturals! more ›

It's Day Two of the Expo pandas and, predictably, Shanghai is going crazy for them. The ten panda cubs are fresh off the plane from the Woolong Giant Panda Protection and Research Center outside of Chengdu and, according to all relevant parties, adjusting swimmingly. more ›

Though we've heard some pretty sweet rumors about notable celebrities coming to town for the expo (was that David Beckham that just walked by us on Nanjing Road's pedestrian street?), it seems that a number of dignitaries are en route to Shanghai as we speak. In fact, there are ten of them, and we'd have to say they're the cutest thing that the expo has yet to offer (Sorry, creepily British Haibao!). Of course, we just have to be talking about pandas! more ›

Okay, we know we''ve talked about pandas already today, but it's only because we can't get enough of them, and we think that's true for most people in China. But apparently, if you're a panda, you could use some time off, especially if people are constantly expecting you to mate. Researchers at the Wolong Panda Reserve in Sichuan are going to try and separate Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan for a month to see if absence really does make the heart grow fonder. At the very least, they'll live up to their names when they're reunited, as tuanyuan (团圆） means “to reunite.” Maybe that's where they got the idea to separate them from? more ›

In this video, a hapless zookeeper is outwitted by two mischievous panda cubs. One playfully distracts him long enough for the other to open the zoo gate. Both then make a dash for the real world. Oh pandas, if only you knew how ill-adapted to the real world you guys really were. more ›

So we stumbled upon one of the longer articles we've seen on China Daily lately and it's about... a BBC presenter that doesn't like pandas. Wildlife expert Chris Packham told Radio Times magazine that he reckoned they should “pull the plug... Here's a species that, of its own accord, has gone down an evolutionary cul-de-sac. Unfortunately, it's big and cute and a symbol of the World Wide Fund for Nature and we pour millions of pounds into panda conservation.” After controversy reared its ugly head, Packham apologized for his statements. Oh geez, if people could get Packham to retract his comments, maybe we've got to tone down on our panda hate too. more ›

• 'China's YouTube' Pries Path Through Profit Puzzle [PC World] Youku.com, China's leading video sharing Web site, faces a challenge shared by YouTube and other rivals worldwide. The Web site has worked to expand its revenue from video ads, mobile downloads and elsewhere, and it claims a massive audience of 25 million visitors each day. But despite all that, Youku — like YouTube and similar sites worldwide — has yet to become profitable.
• Winning Designs in China: Standing Out to Fit In [Tom Doctoroff] "The Chinese consumer is becoming increasingly modern and internationalized. However, while "egos" and ambitions are huge, the "new generation" is not becoming "individualistic" in the Western sense - i.e., the peoples never define themselves independent of society. The middle class, those who can afford non-essential items, is torn between two impulses. The first is projection of status which leads to a desire to be noticed (in public contexts), aggressive self-expression and experimentation with new modes of style and design. The second, in vivid contrast to the projection, is protection, a fear of sticking out too obviously or challenging existing hierarchies and social restrictions."
• And then there were two: Obama meets the Chinese; transcript of president's speech [Los Angeles Times] "Well, today there was the first meeting of what you might call the G-2, between Beijing and Washington, arguably the two most important capitals in the world. Another one is scheduled in November, when Obama makes his first trip to China. … Obama did not mention directly the recent deadly ethnic unrest between Muslim Uighurs and Han Chinese in Xinjiang Province. But he noted that Americans "strongly believe that the religion and culture of all peoples must be respected and protected, and that all people should be free to speak their minds. That includes ethnic and religious minorities in China."

• Mandarin Chinese profanity [Wikipedia] "While many offensive words and expletives involve insulting someone's mother, it is also common to show contempt by scorning another person's ancestors. Other Mandarin insults accuse people of not being human. Unlike English, Mandarin words for excrement or feces are less commonly used in slang and insults. Also, there are few parallels to English's blasphemous phrases, such as 'God damn it'."
• NKorea premier ends China visit [AFP] North Korean Premier Kim Yong-Il Saturday wrapped up his first visit to China, which came two weeks before Pyongyang's planned launch of a satellite, the Xinhua news agency reported. Kim's visit, which began Tuesday, was his first since taking office in 2007 and was officially to mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations.
• Earthquake Pandas Go Home (with video!) [BBC] "Eight young pandas have returned to their native Sichuan province, after being relocated to Beijing, following last year's earthquake. Large crowds turned out to visit the pandas on their last weekend in Beijing before they are flown back to Sichuan province. The pandas will have a new home in Sichuan province with indoor air conditioning and outdoor swimming pools."

According to the following report, a panda has mauled a man at the Beijing zoo. The cause for the violent outburst appears to be stupidity: a man was trying to recover a toy his child dropped in the bear cage. Though there are many that think it's silly to give a child your seat on the subway, jumping into a bear cage has to be considered a major victory for the xiao huangdi camp. more ›

Yuanyuan and Tuantuan, two giant pandas who made the headlines two years ago when Taiwan's government refused to accept them as a gift from mainland China, will now at long last be moving to Taiwan. Since the pandas' names together form the word "tuanyuan" (团圆) or "reunion", the gift was seen as having rather political undertones. With the newly elected KMT ruling the island, the welcoming of these two cuddly bears might be viewed as a symbol for a closer relationship with the mainland. more ›

• This weekend, in just 14 hours, the panda population of China increased by four, as three female pandas at different zoos gave birth. An event worth noticing, since giant pandas in captivity hardly ever seem to mate without the right encouragement.
• Olympic athletes with time on their hands will not have to be bored for long, the Olympic Village provides a training center where athletes can learn basic Chinese, or brush up on their calligraphy skills.
• China's economic growth is likely to rebound in the second half of the year, at least according to BOCOM, the Chinese Bank of Communications who issued a statement on CCTV's website this Saturday.

The first post-earthquake panda birth took place Sunday when twelve-year-old Guo Guo gave birth to twins at the Bifengxia Giant Panda Base outside Chengdu. Guo Guo was one of 63 pandas moved from the Wolong Nature Reserve to other facilities after the quake caused the death of one panda and damage to the reserve, endangering the province’s 1,800 pandas. more ›

"The Beijing Olympic flame will spend just one day in Tibet next month rather that the three days originally scheduled, an official with the torch relay department of the Beijing Organising Committee said on Monday." more ›

As reported earlier, the epicenter of the Sichuan earthquake was not only near the city of Wenchuan, but it was also very close to the Wolong Panda Reserve. Xinhua informed us that some pandas at other facilities were safe, but the status of the Wolong pandas was still known. more ›

Few animals get tabloid coverage of their sex lives splashed across international media like our furry friends the pandas. Their being few is what the fuss is about. And now their enclosures have become Big-Brother-animal-sex episodes where their lack of procreativity is monitored as scientists continue to ply panda eyes and orifices with strategic tactics. more ›

Since Thursday, mallrats visiting Citic Plaza on Nanjing road may have noticed the greeting card and painting exhibit on the ground floor, right across from McDonald's. We were struck by how atypically childlike the artwork was, and then we found out why: they were all produced by children. The event is called the "Share Your Love" Art Charity program and is organized and hosted by the SMIC Private School in Pudong. We'll let the website... more ›

This is just waaaaay too cute. If these three videos aren't enough for you, then hop over to Life in the Fast Lane for more amazing pictures and videos of baby pandas from day 1 to day 120 of their birth that made us keel over from an overdose of cuteness. Have a fabulous Thursday, Shanghai.... more ›

Have you ever wondered what life must be like for someone who is watched everywhere she goes, whether she's eating, drinking, sleeping, shopping? It's the reason why Shanghai photographer Don Yap has tagged her "jailbird" in one of his recent portraits of her. Watch Paris eat xiaolongbao at Nanxiang and sip tea at Yuyuan, and go shopping at Lu Kun's (the greatest PR coup scored yet by any Shanghai-based designer!). The Shanghai municipal government... more ›

This Youku video shows some women offering old men massage hanky-panky, all out in the open in an unnamed city, for as low as RMB5! The world's oldest profession is alive and well in China, and it is everywhere. more ›

Jackie Chan, China's most famous actor/singer/producer/cartoon character/matchmaker (whew!) finds himself one sino-franchise poorer this week, as government officials have blocked mainland distribution of his newest flick, Rush Hour 3. E! News reports: more ›