Giant pandas at the Smithsonian National Zoo

The Smithsonian's National Zoo has hosted giant pandas on loan from China since the 1970s, beginning with Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing following President Nixon's 1972 visit to China. Later generations of pandas, including the birth of Tai Shan in 2005, became focal points of intense local and national public interest and long queues of visitors. The pandas and their births have become enduring pieces of Washington cultural lore and are documented by the zoo's records and press coverage.