Only 100 days old, and already baby panda Tai Shan has his face on T-shirts at the US National Zoo, after a naming ceremony on Monday punctuated by drumbeats, a clanging gong and Chinese lion dancers.

 

100-days-old baby panda Tai Shan plays with its mother Mei Xiang, at the US National Zoo, Oct. 17, 2005 

 

Tai Shan, which means "peaceful mountain," got his name according to Chinese custom and as the result of a public online contest in which more than 202,000 people voted.

 

The 13-pound (6 kilogram) guest of honor remained in seclusion with his mother, Mei Xiang, during the ceremony outside the zoo's panda exhibit, as dignitaries from China offered their congratulations.

 

"The peoples of China and the United States are brought closer together by the happiness of this panda family," said Minister Zheng Zeguang, deputy chief of mission for the Chinese Embassy in Washington. "The 100th day is an important milestone in life. Let us hope that from this day on, Tai Shan will grow stronger and win the hearts of his American hosts."

 

"Tai Shan is a result of the love between the two giant pandas Mei Xiang and Tian Tian and also represents the great feeling between the American and Chinese people," Yan Xun, deputy director of the conservation department of the Peoples Republic of China, said through an interpreter.

 

Tai Shan was conceived by artificial insemination after zoo scientists determined that Mei Xiang and male panda Tian Tian did not successfully mate. The cub was born July 9.

 

The zoo does not plan to let the public see Tai Shan until December. However, the cub's progress is being documented online at http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/GiantPandas/. The site includes two live "panda cams," one of which showed mother and baby lolling on their backs at one point on Monday.

 

It also features updates on Tai Shan's progress. On Sunday, observers thought they saw the first sign of play when Tai Shan went nose to nose with Mei Xiang and then swatted her with his paw.

 

(Chinanews.cn/Agencies October 18, 2005)