Two of China's cutest cultural "ambassadors" made their official debut at the Toronto Zoo today, appearing at an invitation-only event before they’ll go on display to the public this weekend.
A group of dignitaries, politicians and media members were given a sneak peek of five-year-old Er Shun and her four-year-old mate Da Mao, on loan from southwestern China.
The pair will remain in Canada for a decade, spending five years in Toronto and five years in Calgary, at an approximate cost of $1 million a year.
"This day has been a long time coming,” Conservative MP Peter Van Loan told the audience Thursday while holding his young son, John. “In fact, it’s been more than 25 years since folks like John A. and other have had a chance to… see pandas here in Canada."
Van Loan, the MP for the Toronto-area riding of York-Simcoe, was joined by Zhang Junsai, the ambassador for China, who described the Chinese pandas as a symbolic cultural bridge between China and Canada.
"Canadians will get a better (chance) to learn more about China’s geography, customs, history, culture, economy and its society," he said.
In March, the giant Chinese pandas landed at Toronto Pearson International Airport from Chengdu, China onboard a FedEx plane dubbed the Panda express. They were greeted by a fanfare of excited politicians, including Prime Minister Stephen Harper who described the pair as a “symbol of peace.”
But not everyone believes the pandas will completely change how some Canadians see China.
Gordon Houlden, director of the China Institute at the University of Alberta, told CTV News Channel in March that human rights concerns and growing security fears will continue to exist. "There’s always going to be frictions," he said.
The loan from China was finalized last year when Harper and his wife Laureen were in China.
Toronto’s panda display will go on public display on Saturday. The last time the Toronto Zoo hosted pandas was in 1985.
