The Way of the Panda

by Henry Nicholls

Learn how the extraordinary impact of the panda―from obscurity to fame―is also the story of China's transition from shy beginnings to center stage. Giant pandas have been causing a stir ever since their formal scientific discovery just over 140 years ago. For almost a century they defied classification; they outwitted hunters and escaped trappers, left the public elbowing and zoo turnstiles spinning, were sent on diplomatic journeys, branded onto products and turned into company logos. Thanks to the World Wide Fund for Nature this species became the face of global conservation. Yet in spite of humankind’s evident obsession with the giant panda, it is only in the last few decades that scientific research has begun to show us what this mysterious, frequently misunderstood creature is really like.

Henry Nicholls uses the rich and curious history of the giant panda to do several to ponder our changing attitudes towards the natural world; to offer a compelling history of the conservation movement; and to chart the rise of modern China on its journey to become the self-sufficient, twenty-first-century superpower it is today. 16 pages of full-color photographs

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Animals, China, Science, Biology, Nature

304 pages, Hardcover

First published September 30, 2010

About the author

Henry is a journalist, author and broadcaster, specialising in evolutionary biology, conservation and history of science. His first book Lonesome George: The Life and Loves of a Conservation Icon was about the Galapagos Archipelago and global conservation.
He is also the author of The Way of the Panda: The Curious History of China's Political Animal, which charts the intertwined fortunes of giant pandas and China over the last 140 years. His third book, released in early 2014, is The Galapagos: A Natural History.

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating story of an animal that has had an outsized impact on our human world. This is the giant panda, which, amazingly enough, was an obscure animal throughout most of Chinese history. It became known to the outside world only in 1869 ( Lincoln had never heard of it, not to mention Napoleon, Washington, etc., etc.). This was when the Catholic missionary Armand David brought back panda specimens to Paris.
Henry Nicholls' book is divided into three parts. The first concerns David's "discovery" of the giant panda for Western science. This was followed by efforts to hunt pandas to obtain more specimens, efforts which were largely unsuccessful due to the remote location where pandas were to be found. Then there were efforts to capture live pandas. It would be an American woman, Ruth Harkness, who would bring a baby panda out of China to the West. And it was the newly-opened Brookfield Zoo (in a suburb west of Chicago, where, by the way, I reside) which would accept the baby creature named Su-Lin. As you might imagine, the little panda was a big hit--with 53,000 people coming to see Su-Lin on the first day. Ruth Harkness returned to China to find a mate for Su-Lin and found another baby, Mei-Mei, to bring to the zoo. It would turn out that both pandas at the Brookfield Zoo were males! As Nicholls mentions, the story of Ruth Harkness is well told in the book, "The Lady and the Panda," by Vicki Croke, which I've read.
The second part of the book takes us to the 1950s and China has become Communist China. The US government would not permit the import of any more pandas from China. But the London Zoo acquired a panda--Chi-Chi, who became very popular with the British public. Nicholls writes about the "sexual politics" involved with the international efforts to get Chi-Chi and other pandas to breed in captivity, efforts which ended in failure.
The third part begins with the new era of Sino-American relations with Nixon's trip to China in 1972. First Lady Pat Nixon was excited to see the pandas at the Beijing Zoo and this was noted by the Nixons' Chinese hosts. China would give the National Zoo in Wash. DC a pair of pandas as a gift to the American people. Much of this last part of the book concerns how much we've learned about pandas in the wild ( such as their mating habits!) and the program of conservation of pandas in the wild. There is now no need to take pandas out of the wild as the captive panda population around the world is able to be sustained. I believe there is now an effort to introduce captive pandas back to the wild.
The book was published in 2011--it would be nice to have an update on the pandas over the last ten years. Of course, there's always Google....

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

As you might be able to guess from my profile picture, I have a bit of a thing about pandas. They are fascinating creatures but also, crucially, absolutely adorable. I’ve been to see the pandas currently residing at Edinburgh Zoo and, although I only saw one, it was an utterly magical experience. Thus I found this book something of a vindication - plenty of other people, including Teddy Roosevelt’s hunting-obsessed sons, have fallen under the spell of pandas ineffable cuteness. Rather than focusing on their cultural mystique as such, though, the book tells the story of global interest in the species. As they are exceedingly shy and secretive in the wild, giant pandas only became known to the West in 1869. There ensued a race to shoot one and a battle over whether they are more like bears or raccoons.

Subsequent chapters recount how pandas came to be a prized asset to zoos and a symbol of the conservation movement. The discussion of Chinese politics is fairly basic, but the ecological angle is much better developed. I appreciated the emphasis on how captive pandas are really a very different animal to the wild kind. Our dismissal of pandas as lazy and unwilling to breed says a lot more about their captivity than their wild behaviour. Moreover, there is still an awful lot that isn’t known about pandas, despite the global obsession with them. Not the least of these mysteries is how many remain the wild. I must say, this book gave me grounds for cautious optimism on that score. There appear to be self-sustaining populations of giant pandas both in the wild and in captivity. The majority of panda habitat is preserved and managed, while zoos devote considerable resources to breeding. Re-introducing captive-bred pandas has yet to be successful, however.

I must say, if the Edinburgh pandas manage to have a baby, I will be absolutely apoplectic with joy and excitement. Amongst the many and varied adorabilities of the animal kingdom, there is nothing cuter than a baby panda. I recommend this book as source of random panda facts, to provide a more informed basis from which to squeal with delight about the fuzzy darlings. Also recommended: http://giantpandaphotos.tumblr.com/

[Santo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Other than tigers, I would say that pandas are my favorite animals. The choice of tigers is an obvious one; born in the Chinese year of the tiger, I am always awed at the grandness, strength, and noble-like features of these giant felines. And pandas, oh well, who doesn’t like them?

While on a trip to Chengdu in 2007, I had the chance to visit the Panda Research Base. It was here that I first encountered these beautiful bears. I can’t even describe the feeling of joy when watching one, two, three, and more of them rolling around in their enclosures, biting bamboo shoots, and generally not paying attention to the human visitors. Up on the trees, a few of them have gone into some serious siestas. And yes, there were panda cubs too. It was definitely one of the highlights of my travels in China.

Po, my hero
Pandas have to be some of the most celebrated, most popular animals in the world. Hollywood has immortalized Po, the Kung Fu Panda, in a movie thoroughly enjoyed by audiences of many ages. Pandas are also the face of the World Wildlife Fund, which is one of the most well-known NGO on the preservation of animals (particularly species facing extinction). And pandas (not dragons) have been given the status as “national treasures” by the Chinese Government. I don’t think even kangaroos, which are so associated with Australia, enjoy such an elevated status. Or kiwis in New Zealand, for that matter.

But did you know that Pandas were actually not known outside of China until 1869? Did you know that it was a French priest who first marveled at the magical beauty of these black and white furballs? Did you know that it wasn’t until the good part of the Cold War that pandas become such a global hit? And did you know that despite having a panda as its logo, the WWF (established in 1961) actually didn’t start to work on pandas until the early 1980s?

Don’t worry, I didn’t know any of this either. Not until I read Henry Nicholls’ The Way of the Panda: The CuriousHistory of China’s Political Animal.

Book Cover
In what I felt to be a well-written book, Nicholls tracks the history of pandas’ rise to fame. From the times when westerners raced against one another to have the chance to hunt one down, to our conditions now, in which no one in their right mind would even think about hurting a panda, let alone shoot one to death. The book explains the science of pandas, explaining the many efforts to classify pandas; is it a bear, or is it more of a raccoon? The answer was that pandas are bears, but a species rather different from the black, brown, and polar bears that we see in places outside of China.

It was in Nicholls’ book that I discovered that the first panda ever “exported” abroad alive was named Su-Lin. And it was in this book as well that I learned so much about Chi-Chi, the first post WWII panda ever to make it to the West.

Indeed, the story of Chi-Chi occupies a significant portion of the book. A review in The Guardian calls her story one with “celebrity, satire, television crews, and copious political intrigue.” Chi-Chi was the panda whose drawing became the basis of WWF’s logo. And it was through studying her that humans learned about the “sexual problems” pandas have, thus contributing to their low numbers on earth. Chi-Chi also became the symbol of the East-West divide when her failed mating with An-An (a panda given by the Chinese to the Soviets) mirrored the many failures at détente between the two Cold War foes.

I guess, this is what makes Nicholls’ story of the panda a fascinating read. It took me only 3 days (working days, that is) to finish the 300-page book. There were many anecdotes derived from accounts previously written by panda observers, enthusiasts, and researchers.

Nicholls describes many “firsts” in the short history of the panda. Among them, the first panda seen by a westerner, the first panda killed by a westerner (the son of former US President Teddy Roosevelt), the first panda born in captivity, and the first panda twins. There was also an account of the first panda( Xiang-Xiang) to be reintroduced to the wild, which died shortly after being attacked by other pandas in the wild. Well, he certainly didn't know any kung fu .

Panda on my head
While still keeping some of the scientific approaches to learning pandas, Nicholls sets the book against the historical and political backgrounds influencing pandas’ popularity. How they’ve become such a marketing sensation and used as tools of diplomacy, something akin to the bearing of gifts during Cleopatra’s times.

Nicholls also brought in a study of the ups and downs of the People’s Republic of China. When the Chinese were in disarray during the fading Qing Empire, pandas were being hunted to death. Their lives didn’t actually become better throughout the Cold War, as China felt threaten by foreign influences. Lacking resources, the protection pandas became only a side-note in the Chinese Government’s agenda. And even when China became more capitalist in the 1980s, problems often surfaced when weighing panda-protection programs against economic development (which often affects pandas’ living environments).

Today, things have gotten so much better for the panda. The Chinese Government, with funds to spare, has made a more concerted effort to protect their “national treasure”. In one of the examples in the book, the Chinese Government was even prepared to move logging companies and compensate them dearly so that their activities would not intervene in panda-protection programs. It seems that as the Chinese people’s livelihoods become better, so have those of the panda.

At the Panda Research Base in Chengdu, 2007
As their “national treasure”, the Chinese have made sure that the panda will always be Chinese. All pandas born in China are given Chinese names, and even when they are loaned to other countries, they never loose their nationality. This is why it has been so difficult to bring a panda to Indonesia. Apparently Indonesians haven’t really gotten over the 1960s laws enforcing no dual nationalities among Indonesians and Chinese.

But I’m hearing that there is progress in these efforts. I guess, as Indonesia becomes more important to China, it has become panda-worthy for the Chinese. And so, pretty soon, we’ll probably get to feast our eyes on a panda in Taman Safari Cisarua. That’ll be a sight. More so not only because of the panda’s cute demure, but also because I’ve somehow grown a greater appreciation for the lives and deaths of these beautiful animals.

[Emily Greene · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this book, but for someone who is just beginning to understand Chinese history it was a bit difficult to follow just because I wasn’t familiar with Chinese provinces or basic Chinese geography.

There’s definitely some dry parts but I feel like I learned about the history of pandas in a way that helped me better understand Chinese history as a whole, for me it just went a little bit too granular though.

The organization of the book makes sense though — it starts with the discovery, the hunting, killing, and taxidermy of pandas and the age of museums that were beginning to pop up as a way to show-off our scientific discoveries.

Then it takes you through Cold War politics between England, the U.S., and several other nations who received pandas from China as a token of friendship. Then it talks about the cultural revolution during the era of Mao, and the crisis of the pandas beginning to die out because of the deflowering of a certain type of bamboo in the 80’s.

Then lastly it wraps things up by talking about the preservation of the panda, the discoveries of how they mate and behave in the wild, and what his overall opinion is on the outlook of the species.

It’s very passionately written and well researched but again, it took me about a year to fully finish this book so it’s not an easy read for a beginner in understanding Chinese history. Still glad I read it though!

[Nat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. There were so many interesting facts about pandas and it was fascinating learning about their history and the lengths to which people have gone and still go to protect this amazing animal.

4.5 stars from me!

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

The life of a panda and its journey into the Chinese society is what makes the panda "the panda". This is a great book for understanding more about the Chinese culture and the panda that formed it. In this book the writer conveys their thoughts and research on how they believe that the panda helped form the Chinese society. This book gives great information on the current Chinese culture and how the panda is thriving in its famous body it gave itself. After reading the book I learned a lot about the society that China is currently in and why the panda became such a famous character throughout the world. This book stood up to the reason I chose it, and that was to learn why the pandas became such an influential character in our everyday society. This book also connected with me because I took a few Chinese language classes in high school and this book delves deeper into the Chinese culture and taught me things that I didn’t learn from taking the class. I would recommend this book to anyone that wants the learn more about the Chinese culture or just the way that the panda got its name.

[EK · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, with a big caveat that I felt the focus on westerners' thoughts, opinions, discoveries, etc was misplaced.
We have a long story about the "discovery" of the panda, which actually means that some white dude paid locals to shoot a panda, which they already knew existed and knew how to hunt, then the white dude pretends he had something to do with it.
We have paragraphs of missionary apologia (in case you're wondering, the Catholic Church is great actually, and any allegedly bad things the church may have done are more than made up for by their inexhaustible energy for stealing priceless artifacts and putting their names on them) and justifications of big game hunting as entertainment (we can't judge them by modern standards, how could they possibly have known that killing animals indiscriminately for fun would lead to species disappearing??).
We have chapters about the UK's efforts to breed a panda in captivity, then the author just casually throws in one sentence about how China already had panda IVF figured out long ago. Like ok, wouldn't that scientific advance have been much more interesting to talk about than political cartoons?
I understand there are many limitations on the information available from Chinese sources, and there's only so long a book can be, but in the end I think this one can better be titled as "The Way of the Colonizer: The Curious History of Various Random White Jerks Obsessing Over Wildlife", and that's not quite the book I was expecting to read.

[Johanna Jaworski · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the history of exploration of China by westerners and their subsequent panda "discovery" to be interesting, if depressing, but the history of zoos and politics less so. It's a worthwhile book to know all the work that goes into how we come to know about this one tiny aspect of the world.

[Actually-A -Badger · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really entertaining history of pandas, explaining how their fate has been intertwined with major events of the 20th century. Loved this book - I think I especially enjoyed the first few chapters explaining why pandas were such little known animals, even to the local Chinese. Highly recommended!!

[Jadrian Wooten · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping to read more about the diplomacy portion, and not just a history of the panda in general.

[Emma Hurst · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved learning more about pandas and this book held a LOT of information. I only wished that it focused solely on panda facts rather then the ample amount of history lessons which were included.

[Rachel Helfgott]

Great read for any panda lovers!!

[Rachel N. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicholls traces the history of the panda, from the first reported sightings in the late 1800's to today and ties the pandas fate to that of China's history. It's interesting to me how much we still don't know about pandas due to their elusive nature. I also found the sections on possible reintroduction of pandas into the wild to be interesting. The author references previous or upcoming chapters a bit too much and I'm not sure he entirely made the case that China's history directly connects to the lives of pandas. Overall it was an interesting read.

[Skye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting. Kind of crazy however, when you think about all the effort and money going into saving the species. That's why there are these campaigns with sharks on them saying stuff like 'You're not going to save me because I'm not a panda?". Am impressed by the systematic work scientists do, and also the political significance of all these pandas.

So what is Singapore doing with Kai Kai and Jia Jia?

My first sighting of pandas was in Japan, in the Ueno Zoo. Unfortunately all I got was a sleeping panda whose back was facing the zoo visitors- quite a disappointment I would say. I remember thinking haha, wow, given the history and enmity of Japan and China- this panda is some symbolic stuff.

Just this year I was lucky enough to get a field trip to the Sg zoo with my college, CAPT, for a module. We visited the River Safari (I must visit again, it wasn't fully ready when I was there)- and got to meet Kai Kai and Jia Jia in open enclosures. Kaikai is larger and lazier. Jia Jia is smaller and more active- general observations from a 5-10 minute stroll in their air-conditioned home. It's beautiful however, to be able to view them at such leisure, comfort and most importantly, distance!!
Am always so impressed by the open-zoo concept and the hidden 'safety enclosures'. Like you can make a moat pretty and the visitor will be none the wiser. Am extremely proud of our white tiger enclosure and the entire Mandai Zoo. This is what I want to create. A strong brand, solid in character and roots, with sterling quality and standard. No matter what I choose to embark on I want it to be something not only I can be proud of, but also for others to take pride in.

P.S. I never knew Russia had pandas.

[Cora · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was right up my alley. I actually got a master's degree in environmental studies with my focus on the human aspects of endangered species conservation. This was a great read that brought back my enthusiasm for the subject. Living in the Washington, DC area, we are often inundated with panda news, especially last summer when cubs are born. I really enjoyed learning about the history of panda conservation and science. I think Nicholls did a great job presenting the history without being dry and the science without being too technical. He manages to strike a balance between realistic expectations and optimism for the future of wild pandas. The book starts out with a history lesson for both pandas and China. It begins with early hunting exhibitions to kill a panda and collect specimens for museums and continues through the challenge of capturing live pandas and then trying to find a way to breed them in captivity. The book ends with a look at future challenges, such as successfully releasing captive bred pandas into the wild. I learned a lot from the book. The next time I am at the National Zoo, I will have a new found respect for and interest in the work that is being done there.

[Debbie is on Storygraph · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a good friend who hates pandas. He thinks they are slow and stupid and not worth saving. He and I have had several conversations about this, and as he is the only one of my circle who has an opinion on pandas, it was nice to come across this book so I could see the other viewpoint.

The story of the panda is absolutely fascinating. Nicholls's history starts out with their "discovery" by the Western world and moves chronologically to the present day. It was really interesting to not see how the West reacts to pandas, but how the Chinese have over the decades placed heavy nationalistic pride and political weight on the animal.

The book, thankfully, ends on a optimistic note. Nicholls points out that for the first time ever, there is enough habitat, population, funding, and research to provide the foundation for reintroduction of pandas raised in captivity to the wild successfully in the near future.

[David Corleto-Bales · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicholls' book traces the "discovery" of the giant panda in China in the nineteenth century by Europeans and the attempts to bring one to the west, first a carcass, then a live specimen, and then the attempts to breed them in zoos in Europe and the United States. The startling fact is that the panda was basically unknown, even in China, until the 1860s due to its reclusive nature and mountainous habitat. Although the public is aware of the panda's look, it remains ignorant of its habits and quirks, of which it has many; in other words, the giant panda is a very, very strange animal that exists in very specific microclimates and has a hard time breeding, bearing young and even eating in slightly different environments. A fascinating animal, the rock-star of zoos and the conservation movement, the wild panda is basically a mystery.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

A succinct, serviceable account of the giant panda's rise to prominence in the global public eye and the animal conservation movement. I had hoped the book would explore the rise of the panda along with China's similar rise to the world stage and how China leveraged the panda to grow its political power. Unfortunately, that second story stays mostly hidden in the bamboo shoots.

[Jess Dollar · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were slow parts that almost caused me to put the book down but luckily I stayed with it. It got more interesting as it moved away from the history of pandas as political olive branches and talked about breeding problems in captivity.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I need to read more of Henry Nicholls. His story of the discovery, conservation and research studies of the panda was fascinating and humorous. This book dispelled myths about pandas that I had believed. They are truly unique creatures.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting nonfiction book about the giant panda, how they found it, why it's in US zoos and what they are doing to make sure it's not endangered.

[Elizabeth Bridcut · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting, thoght provoking and engagingly written.

[Susan Beecher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Truly fascinating book about China and pandas