Tartan fit for a panda in Scotland

Two pandas gifted to Edinburgh zoo by China received the ultimate Scottish honour on Tuesday when a special tartan designed for them was unveiled. Yang Guang and Tian Tian have already attracted thousands of visitors to the zoo since they arrived on December 4 under a deal agreed after five years of high-level political and diplomatic negotiations. The tartan features black, white and grey to reflect the colour of the pandas' fur and three red lines to represent China, It was unveiled to tie in with Chinese New Year on Monday and Burns Night on Wednesday, an important date for Scots. Hugh Roberts, chief executive of Edinburgh Zoo, said he was delighted with the panda tartan, designed by local firm Kinloch Anderson. "This significant and highly exciting project symbolically demonstrates the coming together of Scotland and China's heritage and culture -- making it the perfect way to commemorate the gift of two giant pandas that China bestowed upon Scotland. "Its unveiling on the overlap of two separate culturally significant days for both China and Scotland feels very appropriate and auspicious timing." The pandas, an eight-year-old breeding pair, are expected to stay in Edinburgh for at least a decade.