(The Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council announced to present the pair of giant pandas shown in this Xinhua file photo to Taiwan compatriots as a symbol of peace, unity and friendship at a press conference in Beijing, Friday, January 6, 2006. Photo: Xinhua)

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Chinese mainland Friday announced the names of two giant pandas selected for Taiwan compatriots. The two are Number 16, female and Number 19, male.

The final coupling was chosen out of 23 pandas. The female panda, born in August of 2004, excels at climbing and balancing. The one year-old beauty weights 35 kilograms.

The male selection was narrowed down to numbers 19, 21 and 22.

The eleven selected giant pandas went through a period of "trial marriages" before the most matching couple are picked up to test whether the couple could fit for each other.

The Chinese mainland offered Taiwan a pair of pandas as one of its goodwill gestures to compatriots in the island province at the end of a historic trip made by Lien Chan, chairman of the Kuomintang (KMT) in Taiwan, in early May.

The process of giant panda selection commenced in early August and the panda selection expert panel decided that the panda couple were to be formed from those giant pandas living in the Wolong center, the largest panda protection zone in China.

The Taiwan people have enthusiastically received the Chinese mainland's offer of a pair of pandas to the island's zoos.

At least three zoos have expressed an interest in housing the mainland guests. They include the Leo Foo Zoo in Hsinchu, the Shoushan Zoo in Kaohsiung and the Taipei Zoo.

The giant panda is one of the world's most endangered species and is found only in China. It is estimated that 1,590 giant pandas live wild in China and those in captivity totaled 183 in the Chinese mainland by the end of 2005.

(Source: Xinhua/ CRIENGLISH.COM)