中国为35岁大熊猫巴斯举行生日庆祝会
China on Friday kicked off a host of birthday celebrations for aging female panda Basi, who will turn 35 years old in November, the age-equivalent of a 100-year-old human.
本周五，中国开始为年迈的雌性熊猫巴斯举行一系列的生日庆祝会。今年11月巴斯将35岁，相当于人类的100岁。
"Basi is the oldest living panda in mainland China," said Chen Yucun, head of a panda research and exchange center in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, where she lives.
The average life of the wild giant panda is 15 years.
The birthday celebrations, hosted by the center, will last half a year, in the hopes of raising public awareness of panda protection and their natural habitats, said Chen.
The celebrations include making animated films about Basi, publishing books and paintings, promoting scientific knowledge about giant pandas in schools, organizing seminars and selecting "panda ambassadors" among the public, Chen said.
Basi is possibly the most famous panda in China. In 1990, she was chosen as the prototype for Pan Pan, the mascot of the Beijing Asian Games. The panda star was born in Baoxing county of southwest China's Sichuan Province.