To celebrate Sichuan Airlines’ second anniversary at YVR, Vancouver Airport Authority has named its newly adopted infant panda, Lulu, after the largest island estuary in the Fraser River.
To celebrate Sichuan Airlines’ second anniversary at YVR and to mark the important connections between British Columbia and China, Vancouver Airport Authority has announced the named of its newly adopted infant panda.
The name, Lulu, was chosen by YVR employees and the public through a social media campaign, and means “precious jade” in Chinese.
Lulu—named after the largest island estuary in the Fraser River, which makes up the City of Richmond—lives a leisurely life on Chengdu Panda Base, where the Airport Authority’s adoption donation will help to fund important research and conservation initiatives.
“Not only does Sichuan Airlines increase trade and business opportunities between British Columbia and China, but it offers Canadians an exciting travel destination to the home of the rare and beloved giant panda,” said Craig Richmond, president and CEO of Vancouver Airport Authority. “We’re excited to celebrate all-things-panda with our community and Sichuan Airlines, which two years ago chose YVR as its first and only entry point into North America: a testament to our position as a global gateway.”
Coinciding with the Airport Authority’s panda adoption is Sichuan Airlines’ launch of its Summer Panda Festival 2014, happening at the Richmond Night Market from June 27-October 13, 2014. The festival includes a grand prize contest for the chance to win a family trip to visit Sichuan province and the Chengdu Panda Base.
“We’re excited to celebrate two years of successful service between Chengdu and Vancouver, via Shenyang, with a festival and contest that celebrates our nation’s most treasured animal,” said Jian Shi, vice president of Sichuan Airlines. “We hope to see many visitors to our Summer Panda Festival to learn more about the province of Sichuan and the giant pandas who call it home.”
Chengdu has been the ancestral homeland to giant pandas since ancient times. The area, located in the heart of one of the world’s 34 hot spots of biological diversity, is inhabited by 73 species of rare animals and more than 2,000 species of plants. Chengdu deserves to be called “The Home of the Giant Panda,” as just 70 kilometers away from downtown Chengdu sits the heart of giant panda country. At elevations from 350 metres to 5,600 metres above sea level, it is the only place in the world with both wild and captive giant pandas.
