Riot-stricken Thailand had something to smile about on Thursday as the nation's only panda cub¹, who enjoys a cult-like following across the kingdom, celebrated² her first birthday in style.

近来受暴乱重创的泰国在本周四终于有了件让人高兴的事，该国唯一一只深受民众喜爱的大熊猫幼崽隆重庆祝了它的周岁生日。

A file photo of Linping with her mother. Hundreds of fans gathered at Chiang Mai zoo in northern Thailand for the birthday of Linping.

Hundreds of fans gathered at Chiang Mai zoo in northern Thailand for the birthday of Linping, whose birth surprised zookeepers after years of unsuccessful artificial insemination（人工授精） and efforts to get her parents to mate.

A monk's blessing³, a panda birthday cake and an ice carving⁴ of her name and age were among the gifts for the 36-kilo (79-pound) cub, who has five keepers devoted⁵ to（专心于） her care, before an evening celebration for guests.

Linping has become so popular in her first year that Thai television has a live 24-hour "Panda Channel" following her every move, while a competition to name her last year attracted a staggering（蹒跚的，犹豫的） 22 million entries.

Lin is part of her mother's name and Ping is a river in Chiang Mai.

"It is very special that people join us today," said Prasertsak Buntragulpoontawee, head of the panda research project at the zoo.

Linping was born to eight-year-old giant panda Lin Hui just three months after receiving semen（精液，精子） from nine-year-old partner Chuang Chuang.

The mates had shown no interest in reproducing normally since they both arrived on a 10-year loan from China in 2003. Linping officially belongs to China but can stay in Thailand for another year.

In 2006, Chuang Chuang, who had been deemed too heavy to mate with Lin Hui, lost weight on a low-carbohydrate diet and was then shown 15-minute video clips of successful panda couplings, but to no avail（无效，完全无用） .

Giant pandas, notorious（声名狼藉的） for their low sex drive, are among the planet's most endangered animals.