Gold medalist China's Zhang Yufei (C), silver medalist South Africa's Erin Paige Gallagher (L) and bronze medalist Cyprus' Kalia Antoniou pose during the awarding ceremony after the swimming women's 50m freestyle final at the 31st FISU Summer World University Games in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Aug. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Wu Gang)
World champion Zhang Yufei and her teammates finally met the most adorable panda bear Hua Hua and called on people to protect wildlife.
CHENGDU, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- World champion Zhang Yufei waved to her and called her name with a big smile, but it seemed she didn't care at all, just sitting there and having breakfast with her brother, unperturbed.
She's Hua Hua, probably the best-known giant panda on the planet.
After sweeping nine gold medals at the Chengdu Universiade, Zhang visited the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding with her teammates Li Bingjie and Liu Yaxin.
"I had a long to-do list before coming to Chengdu, but the tight competition schedule poured cold water on that. I didn't expect to see Hua Hua at all," Zhang said.
Out of the pool, these swimmers are no different from other girls, as all of them came to the base with some kind of panda elements.
Zhang said that Hua Hua is cuter and smaller than she thought, and calm and soft. Li, who described Hua Hua as a "triangle onigiri", took selfies with the star panda. And for Liu, who uses the image of Hua Hua as her cellphone background, said the visit was like "seeing a superstar."
As Hua Hua's breeder, Mr Tan, showed up and greeted the pandas in local Sichuan dialect, Hua Hua and her brother He Ye crawled to the front.
Zhang and her teammates learned a lot about giant pandas from the staff. Seeing the pandas' food in the shape of a mooncake, and other raw materials such as corn and soybeans displayed nearby, Zhang quipped that the pandas' breakfast was almost identical to theirs.
Rongbao, mascot of the Chengdu Universiade, march during the opening ceremony of the 31st FISU Summer World University Games, July 28, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Kun)
Besides the Hua Hua siblings, Zhang also saw Sesame, a prototype of the Chengdu Universiade mascot Rongbao. "Sesame eats much more voraciously than Hua Hua," Zhang observed.
"All our pandas take bites from the left side, then the right. They don't eat piece by piece. Because bamboo doesn't provide much nutrition, giant pandas can only absorb some moisture from it, and they have to keep eating constantly," the staff explained.
Zhang's coach Cui Dengrong was also present at the research base. "In addition to competitions, I really hope athletes enjoy their downtime. It's important to strike a balance between intensity and relaxation in training," Cui said.
"I'm really happy to see Hua Hua, and chat with Mr Tan and the other staff. They taught me a lot about pandas," Zhang said as her tour came to an end.
During the swimming competitions at the Chengdu Universiade, Zhang incorporated panda elements into her outfit, like patterns on her swimsuits and caps, and panda hairbands on the podium and at press conferences.
"Giant pandas are our national treasure and protected animals in China, while Rongbao is the mascot of the Universiade. However, I want to call on everyone to love and protect all precious wildlife together, not just pandas," she said. ■
