In the past, pandas were thought to be rare and noble creatures – the mother of Emperor Wen of Han was buried with a panda skull in her vault. The grandson of Emperor Taizong of Tang is said to have given Japan two pandas and a sheet of panda skin as a sign of goodwill. Unlike many other animals in Ancient China, pandas were rarely thought to have medical uses. The few known uses include the Sichuan tribal peoples' use of panda urine to melt accidentally swallowed needles, and the use of panda pelts to control menses as described in the Qin Dynasty encyclopedia "Erya".

The creature named "mo" (貘) mentioned in some ancient books has been interpreted as giant panda. The dictionary "Shuowen Jiezi" (Eastern Han Dynasty) says that the "mo", from Shu (Sichuan), is bear-like, but yellow-and-black, although the older "Erya" describes "mo" simply as a "white leopard". The interpretation of the legendary fierce creature "pixiu" (貔貅) as referring to the giant panda are also common.

The comparative obscurity of the giant panda throughout most of China's history is illustrated by the fact that, despite there being a number of depictions of bears in Chinese art starting from its most ancient times, and the bamboo being one of the favorite subjects for Chinese painters, there are no known pre-20th-century artistic representations of giant pandas.

पूर्वीचे संदर्भ
आधुनिक "शोध"
Panda diplomacy
Conservation