According to CNN, Ya Ya's appearance in her home country has made the Chinese public very excited and happy. The video of Ya Ya arriving in the capital broadcast by CCTV channel received a "storm of likes" showing the interest and concern of the people of this country. On Weibo, the largest social network in the country of billions of people, the keyword about Ya Ya reached more than 230 million searches.

Beijing Zoo said that due to her age (born in 2000), this "panda" needs to be cared for privately and does not appear in public. Information about Ya Ya will be updated regularly by the zoo via Weibo. "It is touching to see Ya Ya healthy and eating well," Global Times quoted a comment from a Weibo user.

Image of Ya Ya at Beijing Zoo. Photo: CGTN

The panda couple Ya Ya and Le Le were sent by China to the Memphis Zoo in Tennessee, USA in 2003 under a 20-year loan agreement. Le Le passed away last February. Beijing regards pandas as “ diplomatic emissaries” and regularly gives or lends them to countries as a way to strengthen bilateral relations as well as jointly research and conserve the animals.

China is working with several countries to raise pandas, including Germany, Qatar, Singapore and Japan, according to the Global Times. Millions of Chinese people have welcomed Ya Ya back home. Despite claims that the animal was mistreated while in the US, the Memphis Zoo has repeatedly denied the allegations, while Chinese officials have also confirmed that Ya Ya is well cared for and loved by the American people.

Khanh Ngan