The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance announced on the 3rd that giant pandas “Yunchuan” and “Xinbao” will be the design highlights of the Alliance’s participation in the 136th Rose Parade, commemorating the historic moment of giant pandas coming to the United States.
The Rose Parade is the largest New Year celebration on the U.S. West Coast. The 136th Rose Parade, themed “Best Day Ever!” will take place on January 1, 2025, in the historic city of Pasadena, California. Ed Morales, chairman of the Rose Parade committee, stated that this theme aims to celebrate joyful moments that warm our hearts while reflecting on our past experiences and hopes for the future.
The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance mentioned that this will be their fourth consecutive year participating in the Rose Parade, with the 2025 float featuring the design of giant pandas “Yunchuan” and “Xinbao.” These two pandas are the first pair to come to the U.S. in 21 years and made their official public debut at the San Diego Zoo on August 8 of this year, quickly winning the hearts of many.
The San Diego Zoo is the first institution in the U.S. to engage in cooperative research on giant pandas with China. With the arrival of “Yunchuan” and “Xinbao,” a new phase of panda conservation cooperation between China and the U.S. has officially begun. “Giant pandas have an extraordinary ability to unite us,” said Paul Baribault, president and CEO of the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. He noted that the Rose Parade is a long-standing New Year tradition, and the appearance of “Yunchuan” and “Xinbao” within it symbolizes the power of nature and the cohesion of collaborative conservation efforts.
The San Diego Zoo is not only a world-renowned zoo but also a certified botanical garden. According to reports, the gardening team at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance will leverage this advantage to design the 2025 float around giant pandas, red pandas, and tigers, using bamboo and colorful flowers to showcase Asia’s magnificent natural ecology.
