中国人文标识系列：大熊猫，国宝的百年传奇（英）Giant Panda,the Century-old Legend of Living Fossi Animals

Book excerpt: 大熊猫在蓝色星球的第一次漫步，是在遥远的800万年前； 人类第一次清晰地听到大熊猫的脚步声，是在1869年乍暖还寒的早春。 从大熊猫出现在人类面前的那一刻起，它的“食色性也”就深深地吸引着世人的眼光。 100多年过去了，大熊猫依然是让人着迷。 大熊猫似乎没有过去，因为我们不知道“它是谁”， 有人梳理出了大熊猫从古到今的几十个名称，但哪一个是“大熊猫”？ 大熊猫又往哪里去？ 虽然从“濒危”降到“易危”，但野外大熊猫的数量依然少得可怜 我们试图揭开大熊猫身上的神秘面纱，让大熊猫永远和人类和谐共生…… The giant panda, or the panda, a rare species that first appeared as early as 8 million years ago, has retained its original appearance and kept its physiological habits over the years, becoming the living fossil of animals on the earth today and the relic of primitive organisms. As a rare animal in the world as well as in China, the giant panda is few in number, no more than 2000 with the wild and the captive combined. But giant pandas and their habitats have drawn worldwide attention since they are flagship species to be protected for biodiversity. The giant panda is the logo of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the giant panda flag can still be seen fluttering around the world. The giant panda has borne witness to major international sports events like the Asian Games and the Olympic Games as the mascot. The giant panda habitat in China has been included on the World Heritage List…