The Lehe Ledu Liangjiang Holiday Hotel in Chongqing, China offers a special “red panda wake-up service” where guests staying in specially themed rooms receive morning visits from these animals. The property is colloquially known as the Chongqing Red Panda Hotel. The service, priced between 2,000 to 3,000 yuan per night (approximately US$280–420), draws guests from around the world.
Each morning, staff bring one of the hotel’s four red pandas into guest rooms – and they wander around the room and even climb onto beds, spending a few minutes with guests. The animals are reportedly on loan from a local zoo, fully vaccinated, and cared for by dedicated handlers.
This sounds like a pretty neat experience, but it’s also controversial.
- Endangered species, there are fewer than 10,000 in the wild
- Unsafe, given bite risk
- Viral transmission risk despite vaccination
- Ethics criticisms although it’s not clear the pandas are harmed in any way (they appear well-cared for)
On June 17, Chongqing’s Forestry Bureau ordered the hotel to cease all close-contact animal activities, dispatching investigators to the property.
(HT: Marginal Revolution)
Of all the things to smuggle… I mean, these are pretty darn cute!
Anyway, how ‘bout them fireworks last night, fellas? Regardless of your ‘team,’ we in the US do have a pretty badass military. Can we get out the ‘mission accomplished’ banner yet? Looking forward to the “now, watch this drive!”
As for aviation, B-2 is the real deal. Let’s keep this in-the-air; no boots on the ground, m’kay.
China is still a somewhat authoritarian nation in some ways, but it’s interesting to note how everything that is not explicitly prohibited in China, is implicitly permitted. In the United States it is the exact opposite, and that which isn’t explicitly permitted is implicitly prohibited. This is proof of that general rule.
Thanks, Gary, interesting travel-related article. I’ll disagree with all four of your points as follows: 1) Yes, they’re endangered, but these Red Pandas come from a zoo so that point is immaterial. 2) & 3) Agreed, there is always some bite risk but that Hotel should do two things: A) Have guests sign a waiver, and B) Have the waiver state that guests will be charged if inciting bits or scratches by the animal (ie: make them responsible). 4) Ethically, why is this different than all of the other “Petting Zoos” elsewhere around the world ? (Hint: It isn’t).
@Mak — No “but” sir.
The CCP is a authoritarian totalitarian dictatorship. It’s people cannot freely decide their own leaders or speak out against them. Even if you don’t like #47, and I’m no fan, we can all still say mean things about him and not face criminal prosecution by the state, or at least we’re not supposed to.
They are not our friend on that ground. Xi wants to take over his neighbors like Putin. They’re using debt-traps to take resources around the world with the false promises of ‘infrastructure.’ It’s mostly a bad deal for those ‘developing’ countries, though.
Yes, ironically, they happen to be hyper capitalist in many tier 1 cities and industries, even though they are ‘communist’ by name. So, this isn’t about economic systems and preferences; capitalism won.
As we look ahead, it’s China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea vs. the free world, USA and its allies, and anyone else who appreciates self-determination and hates oppression. Pick a side!
@1990 “It’s people cannot freely decide their own leaders or speak out against them.”
This is certainly a true statement, but Chinese people can – in ways that I cannot – choose what sort of economic activity they want to engage in, buy the goods and services that they want, sell goods and services to whom they want, employ or be employed as they want on terms they agree, build what they want where they want – all without undue regulation or even government involvement. This is fantastic and should be recognized as fantastic.
Nobody would doubt that it would be illegal in the United States to have these sorts of Red Panda experiences because of widely varied Federal, State, and local statutes and regulations. But in China you just set up and start running your Red Panda business, and unless you get undue attention nobody really cares or gets in your business. In contrast, try to sell lemonade on any street corner in the United States and see how long you can do it before somebody with a badge walks over and asks you for your Lemonade Stand License.
Do Americans really “decide their own leaders,” or do we have a two party state – rather than China’s one party – and voting is really more of an expressive exercise than a practical one? Even granting this, which freedoms are really more important to human enrichment? Given a choice, China’s economic freedoms seem like a good tradeoff for our not very meaningful political ones. In any case, the choice isn’t as clear cut as Americans would like to believe.
@Mak — On the bears, there’s an excellent charitable organization (based in Australia but mostly focused in Asia) called FreeTheBears which tries to rehabilitate sloth bears, sun bears and moon bears involved in the horrible bile farms and animal exploitation.
As to the CCP, things really changed after 2013 with Xi’s consolidation of power, and Hong Kong’s digression into complete control by the mainland. If Xi goes for Taiwan, we’ve got WW3, and the US and its allies, East and West should absolutely defend the free people of the Republic of China, the real China. Oh, and screw the territorial aggression, regardless of silly maps with dashed lines. So, yeah, I’m all for the ‘milk tea’ alliance, too. Turn that island into a porcupine, dawg.
Americans do. We don’t always choose wisely. I’m no fan of #47, but he’s our President, and the people elected him, twice (not three times, though, bah!)
You’ve pointed out another interesting difference between the cultures. In the sentimental West animal welfare is the highest virtue, while in China – both sides of the Strait – the enrichment and welfare of people is the highest value.
As to the CCP, things really changed after the death of Mao, the coup against and executions of his chosen successors, and the installation of Deng Xiaoping in 1978, and has been improving very steadily since then by adopting free markets while the rest of the world has retreated from them.
I very much doubt that Xi has any ability (or desire) to change this materially, and even less reason to put the entire system at stake to invade Taiwan – despite Western fantasies otherwise.
The stupidest thing I’ve heard of for any establishment to do. The fact that these pandas (they are NOT bears!) are endangered, liable to bite, either transmit to or receive a disease from hotel guests is an inexcusable action. For once, I agree with the government.
@Mak — Time will tell. If Xi has been paying attention to Eastern Europe and the Middle East, he would see that things do not go well for the aggressor in these conflicts. Yes, Russia definitely qualifies as such as does Iran, directly and through its regional proxies (let’s not mistake a response as the original ‘attack’ either, Ukraine gave up its nukes for security guarantees in the 1990s; Iran has committed to ‘eliminate’ Israel and has backed Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis, and others over the years, and of course, more recently, October 7).
Thank you for at least implicitly recognizing that Taiwan is indeed an independent country, whether or not the CCP approves or officially admits that.
Likewise, I’d say, let the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and others enjoy their own economic areas. For instance, Filipino fishermen shouldn’t be chased away by the Chinese coast guard, whether in the Scarborough Shoal near Manila, or the Spratly Islands, near Palawan.
If the CCP actually cares about global trade (and it should because that’s what it’s based its entire economy on), it should cooperate and collaborate with its neighbors, not bully them!
Oh “snuggle” I read “smuggle” at first, ha!
I think this is a cool experience. It’s voluntary and as with many experiences there’s potential risk which it sounds like the hotel does it’s best to minimize. So long as animals are treated humanely (animal-ey?) I’d try it — red pandas are awesome.
@ Mak. I was visiting with an Indonesian-Chinese in the early 90s who told me the Japanese lacked the subtlety to be really good businessmen but now that China was opening up, the world would see. Very good explanation on your part, btw.