A new hashtag #BaobaoBday was just created under @NationalZoo, the official twitter account of the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington DC, on July 23. Now twitter users around the world can tweet to the hashtag to congratulate Bao Bao, a panda cub of the Zoo, for her upcoming 1st birthday.

Bao Bao was born on August 23, 2013, thanks to the artificial insemination by Chinese and US scientists. Her father Tian Tian and mother Mei Xiang left their home in China and came to the Zoo in 2000, and gave birth to Tai Shan in 5 years later.

Bao Bao was officially named on December 1, 2013, 100 days after her birth and the name was chosen among 5 names by an online vote. Both first ladies of China and the US sent their video messages for the naming ceremony. Bao Bao made her public debut in early 2014, and has since become a star cub in the zoo. According to her keepers, her favorite pastime is sleeping high up in trees, and her favorite food is fruitsicles.

As panda fans are gearing up for Bao Bao's first birthday, collateral materials about the birthday, including brochures and table tent cards, are also showing up in hotels around Washington DC. The material prominently displays "Symbol of China - US Friendship", a quote from Chinese Ambassador Cui Tiankai's article carried by Washington Post last year. It also features the story how the Chinese government gave the first pair of pandas to the US as a generous gift, China - US science cooperation for panda conservation, the habits of panda and Bao Bao's happy life here.

Meanwhile, the National Zoo is planning on a series of events celebrating Bao Bao's birthday on August 23.