When Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi decided he wanted pandas at the Honolulu Zoo, he approached the Chinese Consulate-General in Los Angeles, who gave him some advice: Go to China.
The trip, a 10-day whirlwind this past spring taken by Blangiardi and his wife, who was born in Beijing, cost taxpayers roughly $30,000 and involved the couple flying between three cities to meet with a series of high-ranking Chinese officials. Along the way, they visited Fuzhou Panda World, sat for an 18-course meal and took photos at the Great Wall of China.
