“I’m Fu Bao. I am the first baby panda born in Korea. I moved to China. Sometimes, someone who’s not a zookeeper touches me. Will you remember my name?”
A large electronic billboard in New York City’s bustling Times Square displayed a picture of Fu Bao, a four-year-old female panda, on May 31. The image was part of a 15-second video advertiesment titled “My Name is Fu Bao,” funded by Korean fans protesting against the alleged mistreatment of Fu Bao by Chinese authorities. The advertisement included the message, “We can protest with trucks anytime, anywhere.” From May 27 to 30, the fans also protested in front of the Chinese Embassy in Myeong-dong, Seoul, chanting slogans like, “Is it true that you treated her like a princess, only to use her for entertainment?”
Born at Samsung’s Everland amusement park in South Korea in 2020 and returned to China in April, Fu Bao is now challenging China’s “panda diplomacy.” Allegations that Fu Bao was left on a cement floor or tied with a leash at the Sichuan panda base have united not only Korean but also Chinese fans in demanding the truth from authorities. In response, the Chinese authorities quickly released a video of Fu Bao to explain, but Korean fans remain unconvinced, saying, “We can never trust China, which is harassing our Fu Bao,” and thus are protesting with ads even in New York.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on May 31 with the title “China’s Panda Diplomacy Tested as Fight Erupts Over Fu Bao,” noting that “the unprecedented backlash threatens the potency of one of China’s few unassailable tools of soft power.” Panda diplomacy has deep roots, with records of pandas being sent to Japan during the Tang Dynasty. Since formalizing panda diplomacy in the 1990s, China has sent pandas to 26 institutions in 20 countries. A diplomatic scholar said, “By sending pandas, the ‘epitome of cuteness,’ China has fostered pro-China sentiments worldwide.”
However, a paradox has emerged as Fu Bao, born in Korea and returned to China, has become an “anti-China icon” by exposing the harsh conditions within China. Korean and Chinese panda fans claim that Fu Bao has been used for “reception” by high-ranking civilians who are not professional caretakers, and has been touched by bare hands. At Everland, caretakers always wore gloves when handling Fu Bao due to pandas’ vulnerability to infections. A former diplomat said, “Korean fans are upset, thinking ‘How can they treat our Fu Bao, raised by the world’s top company, Samsung, like this,’ while Chinese fans are indignant, questioning ‘Why are we, as the panda’s homeland, treating her worse than Korea?’”
Professor Park Soong-chan of Yongin University explained the simultaneous criticism by Korean and Chinese panda fans towards the Chinese authorities, saying, “The Fu Bao incident has exposed cracks in the Chinese system itself, as dissatisfaction with information control policies like Xi Jinping’s ‘Great Firewall’ surfaces.”
Pai Chai University’s Professor Kim Hyung-joon noted, “China’s panda diplomacy, intended to showcase its soft power, has been marred by this Fu Bao mistreatment issue. Fu Bao, raised with utmost care at Everland, has faced a completely different situation compared to pandas leased to other countries.” There are voices within China arguing that the authorities should reconsider their permanent ownership policy of pandas, suggesting that Fu Bao, despite Chinese ownership, should be allowed to live in her birthplace until her death.
