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By Craig Simons
| Wednesday, June 25, 2008, 03:39 AM
Pandas have long been China’s most valuable diplomats. Beijing has offered them — often at rental prices of $1 million a year — to nations and zoos around the world. Zoo Atlanta has two Chinese rental pandas, as well as a 2-year-old cub.
Now “Kung Fu Panda,” the Dreamworks animated film, is proving that America can profit from pandas as well. The film has proved a favorite among Chinese moviegoers, setting a record in a least one Chinese city for opening-day revenues.
“Kung Fu Panda”-emblazoned T-shirts, bags, caps and toys have sold “like hotcakes at cinemas,” the China Daily newspaper reported.
The paper added that “Audiences eager to observe the Hollywood take on the panda image were obviously not disappointed” and said many Chinese “thought (the movie) represented Chinese values.”
Audiences were also apparently impressed by the film’s message that with enough self-confidence — in the film referred to as a secret ingredient — anyone can make it: The film’s main character, Po the panda, goes from being a noodle maker to a kung-fu master, a message that resonated with Chinese trying to find their own successes.
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