A 50-foot Chinese pagoda, a portal guarded by two large whitemarble Beijing lions and southern-style Chinese glazed tile roofsin the heart of Midtown could only mean one thing -- the CHINAexhibit at the Memphis Zoo.
Today the Memphis Zoo will unlock the well-guarded portal to thepanda habitat of its CHINA exhibit, which opened last July.Although most visitors will come to the Zoo this weekend to seegiant pandas Le Le (pronounced Luh Luh) and Ya Ya, the most recent- and most famous - additions to the exhibit, the CHINA exhibit wascreated to blend history, geology and anthropology for anexperience tailored for anyone with a curiosity about all thingsChinese.
CHINA, Zoo officials said, is unlike any other panda exhibit inthe country because it immerses visitors in the history, cultureand wildlife of China, not just the pandas.
"China has a rich history and culture, and the (CHINA) exhibitbrings all those things together," said Brian Carter, Memphis Zoocommunications director. "We are very excited about Le Le and YaYa, and we're equally excited about our other endangered andindigenous Chinese species on display in the (CHINA) exhibit."
The Zoo has placed fact plaques throughout the exhibit toeducate visitors about Chinese history, culture and wildlife. Theplaques, coupled with the authentic vision of China, Carter said,give the visitor a glimpse into Chinese culture.
At 3 acres, the $16 million CHINA exhibit is one of the mosttechnologically advanced habitats in the world, said Zooofficials.
Le Le and Ya Ya are the fourth pair of pandas on exhibit in theUnited States and the ninth pair in the world outside of China.There are fewer than 1,000 giant pandas left in the wild, makingthem one of the most endangered species on the planet.
CHINA houses attractions smaller than the giant pandas thatvisitors to the Zoo will also be interested in viewing. The Asiansmall-clawed otter, known as the smallest otter in the world, andthe white-cheeked Gibbons, the world's smallest apes, are just afew of the other indigenous Chinese animals on display in theexhibit.
The exhibit also houses the Pere David's deer, preserved only inzoos and protected areas around the world, and the hog deer. Thereare also a variety of waterfowl, pheasants and other birds ondisplay.
In addition to educating Memphians about Chinese culture, theCHINA exhibit at the Memphis Zoo will go a long way in furtheringthe city's reputation as a tourist attraction, experts said.
"Because there are only four zoos in the country that havepandas -- Washington, Atlanta, San Diego and now Memphis -- (theCHINA exhibit) makes a unique addition as a tourist attraction inMemphis," said Robert O'Halloran, director and professor of KemmonsWilson School of Hospitality and Resort Management.
Memphis has already received a lot of local, national andinternational coverage in the city's acquiring Le Le and Ya Ya,O'Halloran said.
The giant pandas and the CHINA exhibit have already broughtMemphis and the Zoo world-class attention. In March, the televisionprogram National Geographic Today featured the giant pandas and theMemphis Zoo with the latest panda research and breeding effortsinside China. The pandas were also featured in a short segment onthe ABC news program Primetime Thursday.
"This kind of coverage has been very positive and complementsthe other attractions Memphis has," O'Halloran said. "The Zoo hasalways been a very popular attraction for visitors to Memphis, butwith the addition of the pandas it goes beyond what their normalvisitors will be."
The exhibit itself symbolizes the friendship and relationshipbetween the United States and China, said University of MemphisEarth Sciences Professor Hsiang-te Kung, a council member of theGreater Memphis United Chinese Association, which was created inthe interest of fostering, understanding and promoting education ofthe Chinese culture in the greater Memphis area.
"The CHINA exhibit and the pandas will not only go a long way inattracting tourists but also in fostering a long lastingrelationship with the Chinese members of the Memphis community,"said Kung.
Zoo officials expect approximately 8,000 visitors today, notunusual for new attractions. However, providing the weather is asfair as predicted, Carter said, the Zoo expects a capacity crowd of10,000 Saturday.
Starting today, visitors to the Memphis Zoo will pay a$3-per-person conservation fee to see the CHINA exhibit and thepandas. The Zoo gives visitors the opportunity to decide whichproject their $3 will support upon leaving the exhibit. Theconservation fee is in addition to regular Zoo admission, which is$10 for adults, $6 for children and free for children under the ageof 2.
