Giant panda

Chapter 1 examines the early interactions between China and the West following the giant panda’s discovery in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Although the Chinese were often seen as passive or unresponsive to the West’s scientific exploration and commercial interest in the giant panda – largely due to factors like the civil war and invasions by Western powers and Japan – their involvement in the early development of the giant panda industry enabled them to assume distinct roles in capitalist trade and cultural exchange. This initial phase of commercializing giant panda attractions laid the groundwork for scientific pursuits, economic exchange, narrative frameworks, and emotional responses shared between the West and China. This compelled engagement with social and economic systems unfamiliar to the local Chinese community marked the beginning of what would eventually evolve into panda fandom.