A special pair of envoys
| School pupils in Brussels decked out to look like their new friends Xing Hui and Hao Hao welcome them at Pairi Daiza Zoo. Xinhua |
Two Chinese pandas that arrived in Brussels on Feb 23 have settled into their home near the Belgian capital. Hao Hao and Xing Hui, both 4, are on loan to Pairi Daiza Zoo, and will be in the country for 15 years. After a 15-hour flight from Chengdu, Sichuan province, the pair were given a VIP welcome at Brussels International Airport. Among those to greet them were the Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo and China's ambassador to Belgium, Liao Liqiang. After a settling-in period, Hao Hao and Xing Hui will go on public display on April 5.
| Eric Domb, president of Pairi Daiza Zoo and Michel Malherbe, Belgium's ambassador to China, visit Xing Hui at Chengdu Giant Panda Protection and Research Center before it set off on its journey. Tuo Yannan / China Daily |
| Michel Malherbe, Belgium's ambassador to China (left) with a "visa" granted to the two pandas at the farewell ceremony. Tuo Yannan / China Daily |
| A young Belgian with national flags waits for Hao Hao and Xing Hui at Brussels International Airport. Xinhua |
| Nursery workers in Chengdu carry Xing Hui to a truck before its 15-hour flight to the Belgian capital. Tuo Yannan / China Daily |
| Hao Hao laps up the VIP treatment after arriving at Brussels International Airport on Feb 23. With Xing Hui, it was later taken to Pairi Daiza Zoo. Xinhua |
(China Daily Africa Weekly 02/28/2014 page4)
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