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Animal Lore: How Giant Pandas Got Their Black Markings

Giant Panda – modified by A. C. Tatarinov, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

How Giant Pandas got their Black Markings

Giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), also called panda bears, or simply pandas, with their distinctive eye and ear patches, are a great favourite among people all around the world. Here we present a legend that explains how they got those distinctive markings, which is also a myth of origin of the Four Sisters Mountain that overlooks their sanctuary in China.

Dolma, the Shepherdess

Once in a lifetime, if we are lucky, we find among us one of those rare, special, people who radiate love, peace, and joy, illuminating the lives of all around them. One of those special ones was Dolma, a young shepherdess living in the Wolong Valley of China. Everyone considered her the friendliest and most likeable person, who always had a good word to say about anyone and was always there for those who needed help. The sheep she tended adored her, and in her presence, the birds sang, the insects buzzed, and the small, timid creatures were at ease.

She liked to take her sheep every day to graze on the hills around the valley where the best grass grew. One day to her surprise, as her sheep were quietly grazing and the lambs were playing and gambolling, a panda cub decided to join in the fun.

In those days, giant pandas were all white, and this youngster was at an age when he was about the same size as some of the lambs. Maybe the young panda thought the lambs were the same as him, or perhaps he did not care, only wanting to play with others his age. Whatever the reason, he was readily accepted into their games and joined in the fun.

Leopard Attack

One day the young panda was running and jumping with the lambs having a wonderful time. Suddenly, a hidden leopard that had been stalking the lambs sprang upon him, clasping its jaws around his neck. Bravely, the young shepherdess snatched up a stout stick and attacked the leopard. She managed to distract the savage beast enough for the terrified young panda to escape, but it was too fierce and powerful for her to drive off alone. The leopard would never normally have attacked Dolma, as like the other animals, it adored her, but furious at losing its prey, its wild, savage instinct, took over and it fought back, ferociously and killed her.

Dolma’s Funeral

The young panda ran back to its own kind and tearfully told how the kind-hearted shepherdess had bravely attacked the leopard to save him. All the family of pandas were touched by the self-sacrifice and goodness of the shepherdess. To show their gratitude for her heroic self-sacrifice, they attended her funeral with their arms smothered with dark ash, which was the customary practice then.

It was a very sad day for her family and friends, but they were glad that the pandas came to express their respect and sorrow and the loss of Dolma.

The giant pandas wept and wailed, howling to the skies in their sorrow. Their tears fell like rain filling their eyes, and they wiped them with their paws and the ash blackened their eyes. They clutched and slapped themselves in grief. Wherever their ashy paws touched their white body fur, a black stain appeared. Their wails and cries were so loud they tried to block out their clamour by covering their ears.

Over time memories may fade, so to keep the memory of the heroic shepherdess alive, they refused to wash the ash from their fur. It is these black marks that make them so unique and endearing to humans. To this day, pandas carry the ashy marks of grief but are not bitter at this permanent disfigurement. On the contrary, they proudly display their markings in beloved memory of Dolma, the courageous, kind-hearted shepherdess who saved one of their own children at the cost of her life.

The Four Sisters Mountain

Dolma’s family were all overwhelmed with grief and sorrow but were also enormously proud of her courageous sacrifice. Her three loving sisters, devastated at their loss, and unable to endure being parted from their sister, vowed they would never leave her side and hurled themselves upon her grave. From her grave in that grief-filled moment, from the mournful earth, rose a beautiful, majestic mountain with four peaks which each sister had been transformed into. That mountain is known as Mount Siguniang, or the Four Sisters Mountain and ever since has stood guard over the pandas to this day. (1)

© 02/06/2025 zteve t evans 

References, Attributions, and Further Reading 

Copyright June 2nd, 2025 zteve t evans

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Festivals: The tradition of eating zongzi at the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival

The Dragon Boat Festival, or more correctly the Duanwu Festival, as well as being identified with dragon boat racing, is also strongly associated with other traditional Chinese customs and practices. Probably the most widespread and participated in is preparing and eating a customary rice dish called zongzi. It should be noted there are various ways to spell this and may vary with region.

The Legend of Qu Yuan

Qu Yuan – Painting by Chen Hongshou – Public Domain

The tradition of making and eating zongzi is strongly associated with the death of the great and much loved poet and patriot Qu Yuan. His suicide by drowning in a river was seen as a selfless act of patriotism by the people who loved him and who paid tribute to him by throwing rice balls into the river for his soul to eat. According to legend, his soul materialized before fishermen and began wailing that he was starving because the dragon in the river was eating the rice they threw to him. He told them to wrap the rice balls with lily leaves and asked them to seal it by tying it with silk thread. Eventually zongzi became wrapped in bamboo, or other kinds of leaves depending on region and availability.

Traditional Zongzi

Zongzi is a glutinous, or sticky, rice dumpling, with a filling. It is traditionally wrapped in bamboo leaves, though other leaves may be used depending on availability and region of China. The rice is usually formed around the filling into pyramid shapes, though cylinder and cone shapes can be used.  The leaves are then wrapped around the shape and tied with string with a unique knot used to identify the type of filling. There are many different fillings such as pickled egg, peanuts beans, yam, melon seeds, dates, fruits, walnuts, or yam. The leaves can be palm, banana, wild rice, or bamboo.

Yellow Zongzi by Benjwong – Public Domain

Different regions have their own speciality zongzi. In Beijing the filling is sweet and made from a bean paste. In Guangdong there are two favourites. One has a sweet filling of date, walnut, or bean filling and the other is salty with meats such as chicken, ham duck and eggs, mushrooms, or chestnuts.  An increasing number of shops and stalls sell zongzi on festival days and its popularity grows. Mostly in China the of making zongzi for eating and the giving as a gift is still practiced widely and often regarded as a family activity.

Zongzi Worldwide

Along with the Dragon Boat Festival, the popularity of eating zongzi is now growing around the world with Dragon Boat Festivals being held regularly in South East Asia and many western countries including the UK, USA, Canada, and Europe. Undoubtedly, each country will add something to the tradition and bring new flavours to the dish to be enjoyed.

References and attributions

Copyright July 31, 2009 zteve t evans