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SCMP Reporter

The pandas are usually the stars of the show at Chengdu’s Giant Panda Research Base, but on Wednesday Michelle Obama stole the limelight as she visited the centre..
Obama, who is travelling with her mother and daughters, visited the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in the southwestern province of Sichuan.
There, the Obamas viewed a 22-year-old grandmother panda named Lili as well as five young pandas, according to base staff.
Pictures showed the First Lady using a long stick to pass apples to some of the black and white bears in a grassy enclosure.

The reserve - which was closed to the public for the first family’s visit - is home to nearly 80 giant pandas, as well as a colony of red pandas.
Obama and her family had lunch at a Tibetan restaurant in Chengdu, a choice that “was in accordance with (Obama’s) interest in the rights of minorities in China”, according to White House staff.
The dishes served at the Zangxiang Teahouse featured a heavy emphasis on yak, including yak butter tea, yak soup, yak meat pies and boiled yak ribs.
Sichuan and other provinces neighbouring Tibet are home to a minority of Tibetans, an ethnic group that rights activists say faces religious and cultural repression, underscored by more than 120 self-immolation protests by Tibetans in recent years.

China rejects such criticism and blames the acts on separatist forces led by the Tibetan spiritual leader-in-exile and Nobel peace laureate, the Dalai Lama.
Obama’s trip was billed as one focused on “soft” issues rather than on politics, and the first lady has largely stayed true to that pledge, playing ping-pong and jumping rope with students and touring the Beijing sites with her Chinese counterpart Peng Liyuan.
With reporters’ access highly restricted and interviews with Obama barred during the trip, the potential for any unscripted discussions on areas of disagreement between Beijing and Washington has been minimised.

“In America, we believe that no matter where you live or how much money your parents have - or what race or religion or ethnicity you are - if you work hard and believe in yourself, then you should have a chance to succeed,” she told the crowd.
“We also believe that everyone is equal, and that we all have the right to say what we think and worship as we choose,” she said.


Michelle Obama steals the limelight from pandas on visit to China research centre

US First lady Michelle Obama, left, and her mother Marian Robinson use a pole to feed apples to giant pandas during their visit to Giant Panda Research Base in Chengdu, Sichuan province on March 26, 2014. Photo: AP

U.S. first lady Michelle Obama, second from right, walks with her daughters Sasha, right, Malia, second from left, and her mother Marian Robinson at the Giant Panda Research Base. Photo: AP

Photo: AP

Fashion contest the focus of 'first lady diplomacy' during Michelle Obama's China visit

Michelle Obama, with daughters Sasha and Malia watch touches a prayer wheel outside a Tibetan restaurant in Chengdu. Photo: Reuters

Michelle Obama (left) and Peng Liyuan visit the Forbidden City in Beijing on March 21, 2014. Photo: AFP

Michelle Obama (left) at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on March 21, 2014. Photo: AFP

Michelle Obama performs "tai chi" with students from the Chengdu No 7 High School in Chengdu in China's southwest Sichuan province on March 25, 2014. Photo: AFP

First lady Michelle Obama praises civil rights movement - and tai chi - during China tour

US First Lady Michelle Obama performs "tai chi" with students from the Chengdu No7 High School in Chengdu in China's southwest Sichuan province on March 25, 2014. Photo: AFP

US first lady Michelle Obama practises tai chi with pupils at the Chengdu No. 7 High School during her visit to the Sichuan provincial capital. Photo: AFP

US first lady Michelle Obama greets students after performing tai chi with them at the Chengdu No. 7 High School during her visit to the Sichuan provincial capital. Photo: AFP

US first lady Michelle Obama sits in for an English class with students at Chengdu No. 7 High School during her visit in Chengdu. Photo: Reuters

US First Lady Michelle Obama speaks to students at the Chengdu No.7 High School. Photo: AFP

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