In brief
Lang Yue, born in July 2024 at Ouwehands Zoo, departed for China after a ceremony that featured dragon and lion dances, nearly 100 visitors, and remarks from the Chinese embassy and zoo officials. Dutch fans expressed their hope to visit the panda in China, while Chinese envoy Zhang Yi highlighted the animal as an ambassador of bilateral friendship and conservation cooperation. The transfer follows a similar 2023 move of the panda’s older sister, Fan Xing.
On Friday morning, October 30, 2026, a vehicle carrying the four‑year‑old giant panda Lang Yue slowly pulled away from Ouwehands Zoo in Rhenen, Netherlands, as almost 100 visitors offered a bittersweet farewell.
Freya, a young fan who had seen Lang Yue grow up since her birth in July 2024, stood among other children wearing baseball caps and waving small flags with the panda’s image. She tearfully said,
"One day, I want to visit her in China,"before the roaring applause of the crowd.
The ceremony took place outside the Chinese‑style panda house and was marked by colorful dragon and lion dances performed by local performers. The vehicle, wrapped in a banner that read "Good luck, Lang Yue!", stood prepared for the departure to the Sichuan Province Wildlife Rescue Center.
Farewell Ceremony
At the event, the charge d’affaires ad interim at the Chinese Embassy in the Netherlands, Zhang Yi, spoke to the assembled audience. He said,
"Giant pandas are envoys of friendship between the two countries,"and added,
"Cooperation on panda conservation reflects our shared commitment to protecting wildlife and preserving biodiversity."Zhang also invited Dutch visitors to explore China, especially Sichuan, home of the giant panda.
For the panda guard and keeper, the departure was a mixture of memories and hope. Brenda van Ekeren, who has cared for Lang Yue since her birth, recalled,
"She was very soft."She added that, unlike her older sister, the cub displayed a more timid personality, often watching her mother before engaging with a new environment.
Zoo director Robin de Lange closed the ceremony by saying,
"It was an emotional day for the staff,"he said. “However, I am happy that Lang Yue will help with the conservation of giant pandas in China.” He reflected on how Rhenen’s pride in having raised two cubs was underpinned by years of collaboration with Chinese colleagues.
Lang Yue is the second cub born to pair Wu Wen and Xing Ya, who arrived in the Netherlands in 2017. Their first cub, Fan Xing, was born in May 2020 and departed for China in September 2023. The two births followed intensive training and veterinary exchanges between Dutch and Chinese staff, a fact that supports the broader narrative of international scientific cooperation.
In addition to the farewell, visitors were reminded that the vehicle carried a symbolic message of good luck for the panda’s new home. The event was broadcast to millions of Chinese followers who followed the journey on social media and hailed the transfer as a diplomatic milestone.
Before the departure, the zoo announced that Lang Yue’s flight onto the 14‑tonnes greenhouse will commence at 11 a.m. that same morning. The journey will bring her to the breeding facility at Chengdu, wherein scientists hope her arrival will support both conservation and public outreach projects in the heart of panda‑habitat Sichuan.
As the sedan vanished down the road, Rhenen and the world marked the precedent of cross‑border cooperation that turns a gentle giant into a living symbol of friendship between two nations.
