Ling-Ling (, 1969–1992) and Hsing-Hsing (, 1970–1999) were two

giant panda The giant panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca''), also known as the panda bear or simply panda, is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its white animal coat, coat with black patches around the eyes, ears, legs and shoulders. ...

s given to the United States as gifts by the government of

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

following President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

visit Visit refer as go to see and spend time with socially. Visit may refer to: *State visit, a formal visit by a head of state to a foreign country *Conjugal visit, in which a prisoner is permitted to spend several hours or days in private with a visit ...

in 1972. As a gift, the U.S. government sent China a pair of musk oxen. The pandas had been captured in the wild in June and December 1971. When the Nixons had a dinner with Chinese Premier

Zhou Enlai Zhou Enlai ( zh, s=周恩来, p=Zhōu Ēnlái, w=Chou1 Ên1-lai2; 5 March 1898 – 8 January 1976) was a Chinese statesman, diplomat, and revolutionary who served as the first Premier of the People's Republic of China from September 1954 unti ...

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

during the 1972 visit, First Lady

Pat Nixon Thelma Catherine "Pat" Nixon (; March 16, 1912 – June 22, 1993) was First Lady of the United States from 1969 to 1974 as the wife of President Richard Nixon. She also served as the Second ladies and gentlemen of the United States, second lady ...

mentioned her fondness for the species, which Zhou replied, "I'll give you some." They arrived at the Smithsonian's National Zoo on April 16, 1972, and were formally received several days later, on April 20, at a ceremony attended by Pat Nixon. While at the zoo, they attracted millions of visitors each year. During their time at the National Zoo, the pair had five cubs between 1983 and 1989, but none of them survived past a few days. Ling-Ling died suddenly from

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to Cardiac cycle, fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF ...

on December 30, 1992, at which time she was the longest-lived giant panda in captivity outside

. Hsing-Hsing would go on to pass her record when he was euthanized by zookeepers on November 28, 1999, at the age of 28 due to

kidney failure Kidney failure, also known as renal failure or end-stage renal disease (ESRD), is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney fa ...

. Following Hsing-Hsing's death, the zoo received thousands of letters and cards from people across the country expressing sympathy. The Panda House at the National Zoo remained empty for over a year until the arrival of Mei Xiang and Tian Tian from the Wolong Research and Conservation Center for the Giant Panda in December 2000.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ling-Ling And Hsing-Hsing Individual giant pandas National Zoological Park (United States) Animals as diplomatic gifts China–United States relations Presidency of Richard Nixon Giant panda duos

See also

References