Xiong Mao Zai Nar?

"Xiong Mao Zai Nar?" = "Where are the pandas?" That's what happens when I don't know the mandarin word for "zoo!" :)

This weekend a friend and I made our way to the Beijing Zoo! The highlights include their many species of monkeys, the white tiger, and of course the "xiong mao" pandas. However, another interesting thing for me to see was a high concentration of Chinese-speaking children squealing in delight of the animals and running all over the place! The only other place I've experienced this is when I was in Chinese school as a kid, but even that is a poor representation since half the kids were English speaking Chinese-Canadian.


The Beijing Zoo has been criticized by some for the lack of 'happy' animals. I was told, "if most zoos are like jail for animals, then the Beijing Zoo is death row." Okay, I'll admit that the animals didn't look thrilled to be cages (except for the monkeys - they seemed to be having a great time!), however, what animals typically look happy to be locked up? Remember the killer whale incident at Sea World earlier this year? If you're visiting China and only want to see pandas, I recommend going to Ocean Park in HK or even better, make your way to Chengdu for a panda excursion where you can get the chance to hold a baby panda! Great day at the zoo! Pandas - check!