A woman is watching pandas on a live-streaming platform. (Photo: Li Hao/GT)
China's endangered national animals are suffering from reckless tourism and crass consumerism
○ An endangered species, there are only 1,800 wild pandas and 370 in captivity
○ Pandas become easily frightened, anxious and exhausted from constant human attention
○ It is an open secret that many zoos and breeding facilities have "pay to play with the panda" policies
It is said that one of the most peaceful places on China's social media is the comment section below any post featuring pandas, where everyone sighs a collective "aww" regardless of age, birthplace or political views.
To cater to people's enthusiasm, at certain breeding facilities around the country, visitors lucky enough to obtain ultra-exclusive tickets are allowed close contact with the pandas. However, most panda fans simply settle for live-streaming broadcasts or videos that follow the every move of their favorite pandas.
"We are addicted to pandas and like to follow all their movements on live broadcasts, but it should not be at the cost of affecting their life," Renxin, a panda lover, told the Global Times.
Renxin, who follows news about pandas, said that she is particularly worried by a recent report which says that some pandas become exhausted due to improper live broadcasts from unprofessional photography teams.
Experts point out that pandas are becoming anxious and exhausted by the constant attention and the commercial bustle surrounding their enclosures.
Baby schema
Panda watching has indubitably become one of China's most popular pastimes (their dining, playing, pooing, bathing and all), as the cute creatures exude a certain happiness, warmth and even magical power that tends to rub off on humans.
"I could spend a whole day simply watching the pandas in the zoo ... watching them eat bamboo makes me feel the freshness of bamboo and watching them sleeping makes me feel like I'm in a dream too," netizen Xiongsheng wrote on question-and-answer platform zhihu.com.
Fans from other countries who subscribe to panda videos on video-sharing sites even dream of coming to China to work as panda keepers. "I would be a much nicer guy if I was doing this job," netizen Vinymilano wrote below a CGTN video showing how giant pandas create trouble as staff clean their home.
Qiu, an expert from the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP), told the Global Times that pandas are beloved by so many mainly because they appear childlike and naive.
A pandas' looks falls into what Austrian zoologist Konrad Lorenz called "baby schema," which refers to facial and body features that make an animal appear cute - and thus makes others want to care for it. Many panda fans treat cubs like their own children, monitoring their growth and keeping track of their development.
There are also cultural factors leading to the enduring popularity of pandas, as Qiu pointed out.
"They look big but with mild characteristics. They could eat meat but are in fact vegetarian, leading people to associate them with the Chinese idiom 'The butcher who lays down his knife at once becomes a Buddha.'"
"Their living philosophy fits the values and mindset of most Chinese people," said Qiu, adding that in some regions of Sichuan Province, the main habitat for pandas, the animal is regarded as a mountain god. "When pandas curl up, they look like the picture of Taichi Altar in Taoism."
Other fans love pandas simply for personal reasons. "They make me feel warm. I feel relaxed the second I look at them when I'm feeling bad," said Renxin.
"I work in a profession where I could be driven crazy eight times one day. When I feel extremely bad and watch the photos of pandas, I feel cured because the world still has so beautiful things like pandas," a netizen wrote on zhihu.com.
