DreamWorks Animation's "Kung Fu Panda" was the top animated film released in China in 2008, according to the company.

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But every year, a lucky few get the chance to feed, bathe and exercise the endangered animals at the Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Chengdu, China.

BBC: Play one-on-one with a giant panda

Next to the giant panda, Yao is perhaps China's best known and much loved, icon, in part because exudes a wholesome, feel-good image.

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Experts from China and Germany have flown in to the capital and are monitoring the behaviour of the female panda, Tian Tian.

BBC: Edinburgh Zoo's pandas may be ready to mate