It is 8 a.m. on Mar. 3, and there are already over 2,000 people waiting in front of the main ticket booth at Yongin Everland in Gyeonggi-do. Although the park is not scheduled to open for another two hours, the crowd is already decked out in furry hats with panda ears and carrying bags adorned with panda characters. Lee Jung-soo, 34, who was at the front of the line, said he left his home in Guro, Seoul, at 3 a.m. and started lining up around 4 a.m. “I’ve been to Panda World for six days in a row this week ahead of Fu Bao’s final outing, and my goal is to see her four times today,” Lee said. “I want to send her off with a smile, but I might cry when I see her for the last time.”
This was the last time the beloved giant panda Fu Bao was seen by the public. Thousands of visitors from all over the country came to see her before sunrise. Panda enthusiasts stayed at nearby hotels, saunas, or even in their cars, just to get in line early. The No. 5002 bus from Gangnam Station in Seoul to Everland has been already full from the first operation at dawn for a few days. On Mar. 3, the final day for the public viewing, over 8,000 people visited Everland Panda World to see Fu Bao. The longest wait time was 400 minutes.
Kim Mi-hee, 35, from Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, came to Everland wearing a Fu Bao hat and wrapped in a panda character blanket. After staying at a nearby hotel, she lined up from 6:30 a.m. “I went back to the hotel and cried when I realized I wouldn’t be able to see Fubao anymore.,” Kim said, adding, “I want to go back to China later and see how she is doing.” A hotel staff in Yongyin said, “This week, the number of accommodation reservations has nearly tripled, and the last day of Fu Bao’s public viewing was completely full.” Domestic and foreign media outlets flocked to cover Fu Bao’s last meeting with the public.
Many visitors were even teary-eyed at the sight of Fu Bao. Some softly waved their hands, saying, “Goodbye, this is our last time together with Fu Bao.” “My pet got sick and passed away last year, and the sight of Fu Bao’s family helped me get through it,” said Kang Hee-jung, 38, adding, “Now, I think I have more pictures of Fu Bao than my dog now.”
Fu Bao is a panda born in July 2020 from Lubao and Aibao, two pandas gifted to South Korea by Chinese President Xi Jinping as a symbol of friendship. Fu Bao is the first panda to be born naturally in South Korea. On Jan. 4, 2021, she was unveiled to the public for the first time, and since then, 5.5 million people have seen her for 1155 days. Due to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), pandas born outside of China must be returned before they are four years old, as this is when they are able to mate with other pandas. Therefore, Fu Bao will be returned to China next month.
