hello — Mei Lan! Chinese zookeepers are advertising for a tutor to teach Chinese to an American-born giant panda arriving this week in her parents' homeland. The language lessons, a special diet and even blind dates are also part of the red-carpet welcome being rolled out for 3-year-old Mei Lan, or Beautiful Orchid, by Chinese caretakers ahead of her arrival Friday on a special FedEx flight from the US. Under a deal between China and the US, all giant pandas originally from China are only lent out to foreign zoos for scientific study for several years. They and any cubs they produce must all return to China eventually. Determined to help Mei Lan adapt more quickly to her new life, the caretakers at her new home, the Chengdu Panda Breeding Research Center in the southwestern province of Sichuan, are recruiting a language teacher via the Internet. Mei Lan has lived at a zoo in Atlanta, Georgia, since her birth in 2006. “Mei Lan has been living in the United States since she was born, and she must be unfamiliar with Chinese,” Huang Xiangming, director of the center's animal management department, told the official Xinhua News Agency. The center has set up a Web site on the popular Internet portal Sina.com for Mei Lan, detailing the qualifications for a volunteer teacher: a bachelor's degree or higher, no history of infectious disease and good command of both English and Chinese. Mei Lan will also have to gradually get used to her new Chinese diet. “We have asked the American zookeepers to bring Mei Lan's favorite biscuits, but we will gradually use Chinese ‘wotou' (steamed bread made of corn and sorghum) and fresh bamboo to replace biscuits,” Huang said. Her caretakers hope to introduce her to a potential mate. Panda fans are being asked to help choose a “boyfriend” for Mei Lan. The Web page set up for her introduces eight prospective candidates, including pandas named Superman Kobe and Yong Yong. It includes short videos of the potential suitors in action and asks voters to choose the most compatible based on their appearance and behavior.
