Focus

'I postponed my big day so I can help save the pandas'

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-10-11 07:52

Huang Xi gives a panda a shower during training to compete in the pambassador project. Provided to China Daily

Huang Xi was in the final stages of planning her wedding when she saw the advertisement for Project Panda, a global search for six ambassadors to raise awareness of these magnificent animals.

The date was set: Sept 28. The venue was booked, the food was ordered and the guests were invited.

When the day arrived, however, the 25-year-old was in Sichuan province, more than 1,000 kilometers away from her hometown, preparing for the final showdown in the contest to find six pambassadors.

"When I saw the news about the job online in late August, I felt I just couldn't waste this opportunity," said Huang, a shopkeeper and self-confessed panda fanatic from Guangzhou, Guangdong province.

"I thought she was joking when she asked to postpone the wedding," said her fiance, Cheng Binghua, a 27-year-old advertising manager. "I was speechless at first but I love her, so I needed to be there for her."

Cheng was not the only one who was shocked. Both Huang's and Cheng's parents were initially resistant to the idea of rescheduling the big day, although they too got behind her.

Luckily, the gamble paid off and Huang was chosen as one of the winners.

As a child, Huang decorated her bedroom with countless panda toys and pictures. She even originally proposed having a panda-themed wedding.

"I wanted all the guest to wear black and white," she explained, "but I realized that would make the ceremony look more like a funeral than a wedding."

Huang's store in Guangzhou sells environmentally friendly products, ranging from cloth shopping bags to pencils made with recycled paper.

She regularly runs workshops to promote a low-carbon lifestyle by teaching how to transform waste materials into useful items.

Her shop has previously cooperated with the WWF China in a project to find homes for stray cats.

"When I go back home (after the month of training), I'll definitely host lectures and teach people about the animal protection knowledge I learned at the Chengdu panda base," said Huang.

The wedding will now be at the end of November and "all six other pambassadors have been invited", she added.