According to CNN, Ya Ya's appearance in her homeland has made the Chinese public very excited and happy. The video of Ya Ya arriving in the capital, broadcast by CCTV, received a "storm of likes", showing the excitement and interest of the people of this country. On Weibo, the largest social network in the country of a billion 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 private care 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 sitting down to eat deliciously,” Global Times quoted a comment from a Weibo user as saying.

Image of Ya Ya at Beijing Zoo. Photo: CGTN

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

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 during her stay in the US, the Memphis Zoo has repeatedly denied the allegations, while Chinese officials have confirmed that Ya Ya is well cared for and loved by the American people.

Khanh Ngan