英文摘要 |
From 1988 to 2008, a total of five applications for the importation of giant pandas were submitted by both public and private zoos in Taiwan to the Council of Agriculture of the Executive Yuan. The article first offers a historical review of the phenomena of panda diplomacy, panda rentals, as well as international scientific research cooperation in relation to pandas in modern Chinese history, and regards them as the appropriate contexts for understanding these applications. The article next enters into a close analysis of the last two applications made since 2005, which attracted both domestic and international attention, and eventually led to the arrival of a pair of giant pandas in Taiwan. The importing of giant pandas from Mainland China generated controversies at several levels: political, conservational, legislative, and procedural. Yet, despite the controversies, after the Chinese Nationalist Party presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou won the election in 2008, a pair of giant pandas named ''Tuan Tuan'' and ''Yuan Yuan'', which together represent the Chinese word for ''reunion'', arrived in Taiwan. This review of the application process regarding the admission of giant pandas into Taiwan first of all illustrates the changing discourses on ''conservation'' before and after the regime change in Taiwan in 2008. It also demonstrates how, as a vital political, cultural and conservational symbol, the meanings and roles of the giant panda have shifted greatly over time in Taiwanese society. |