Story highlights
Melania Trump took a solo visit to the Beijing Zoo
The Beijing Zoo is home to eight giant pandas
First lady Melania Trump had a great panda adventure at the Beijing Zoo, her final solo event in the city of Beijing.
Trump spent some time feeding Gu Gu the giant panda and learned about his nutrition and training while at the zoo, according to the first lady’s communications director Stephanie Grisham.
The first lady also signed a poster of the panda, writing, “Thank you to the Beijing Zoo! Wonderful to meet Gu Gu!”
The Beijing Zoo is home to eight giant pandas, including one set of twins, but Gu Gu is the “star of the zoo,” according to zoo director Li Xiaoguang.
“The panda star in the zoo is Gu Gu. He is a pretty male panda and the goodwill ambassador to the zoo. Gu Gu is a good-looking panda with a robust memory. He is excellent in his behavior training and eager to show his skills to the VIPs,” Xiaoguang said.
Following her panda interaction, Trump visited with local schoolchildren in front of a panda enclosure, where Meng’er the panda was chomping on some bamboo. Meng’er translates to “cutie number two.”
The children sang the first lady two songs, one in English and one in Mandarin. Trump thanked the children for the performance and gave them each a gift.
“I have a present for you from the United States,” Trump told the children, handing out the stuffed bald eagles. “You have a panda here, we have an eagle in the United States.”
Trump was presented with her own stuffed animal, a giant panda, by Xiaoguang.
Later in the day, the first lady will walk the Great Wall of China before returning to the United States, where she will visit with troops in Alaska before returning to Washington.
