Young panda celebrates first birthday

Giant panda Bei Bei plays at National Zoological Park in Washington, DC, after celebrations of his first birthday. Bao Dandan / Xinhua

Bei Bei, the giant panda cub at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, DC, had an unusual one-year birthday celebration on Saturday.

The first ladies of China and the United States both sent their greetings. China's Peng Liyuan sent her greeting from China, the home country of pandas a world away.

"The giant panda is China's national treasure. Bei Bei's birth is the fruit of collaboration between China and the US and a strong symbol of our friendship," Peng said in a message read by Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai on Saturday morning at a birthday celebration in the zoo's panda yard.

US first lady Michelle Obama tweeted in the early morning: "Today we celebrate the National Zoo's 'precious treasure' as he turns one year old. Happy birthday, Bei Bei!"

In September, Peng and Obama visited the zoo and named the newborn panda cub Bei Bei, meaning "precious" in Chinese.

Peng expressed her appreciation for the staff at the National Zoo for taking good care of Bei Bei and for all US friends who love and cherish pandas.

The zoo and the Chinese embassy held a special zhuazhou ceremony, a tradition honoring a baby's first birthday that dates back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279) about 1,000 year ago. Whatever the baby chooses foretells its future.

Three banners - with drawings and words in Chinese symbolizing long life, health, habitat, good luck and friendship - were placed in Bei Bei's yard. The art was created by children of Chinese diplomats in Washington. Panda keepers sprinkled the signposts with honey to attract Bei Bei.

Bei Bei appeared to be in good spirits, but he strolled in the yard area far from the banners and climbed a tree for awhile, despite efforts by panda keepers to get him close to the banners. Laurie Thompson, a panda keeper and zoo biologist, said Bei Bei seems to feel most comfortable when his mother is in the yard.

Finally, it was Mei Xiang who performed zhuazhou for Bei Bei. She picked the one signifying "luck and friendship", then moved on to the next for "health and habitat."

Hundreds of people lined up along the Asia Trail on Saturday morning to have a look at the birthday boy.

Suzy Johnson, wearing a red T-shirt proclaiming, "Happy Birthday, Bei Bei," said she tweeted about the birthday in the morning. Like many visitors on Saturday, Johnson has been a panda fan for a long time. She said her mother took her to see Hsing Hsing and Ling Ling back in the 1970s - the first pair of pandas arriving in the US immediately following the historic trip to China by then-president Richard Nixon in 1972.

Johnson said she was devastated when Mei Xiang lost her baby in 2012. But the next year Bao Bao was born.

"We love the pandas, they are very peaceful," Johnson said. "It's all about peace and friendship and love. The world can use a lot more of that."