Chinese Ambassador to the US Cui Tiankai (left) talks to producer Mellissa Cobb (first right), and co-director Jennifer Yuh Nelson of Kung Fu Panda 3 at the Panda Night party at the Chinese embassy in Washington on Wednesday evening. [Photo by Chen Weihua/China Daily]

The giant panda – whether animated, in the zoo or in the wilds – was the star at a party at the Chinese Embassy in Washington on Wednesday.

Co-director Jennifer Yuh Nelson and producer Melissa Cobb of the movie Kung Fu Panda 3 joined Chinese Ambassador to the US Cui Tiankai and the Smithsonian's National Zoo wildlife ecologist Bill McShea, a panda expert at a reception for some 200 guests before the movie was shown in the embassy's auditorium.

Cui, who visited the National Zoo's giant panda cub Bei Bei just last month, described the giant panda as a "goodwill ambassador".

The cub Bei Bei was named last September when Peng Liyuan and Michelle Obama, first ladies of China and the US, visited the zoo. The zoo was also the first one in the US to house giant pandas in 1972, following President Richard Nixon's historic trip to China.

McShea, the scientist, described the giant panda as a "rock star" at the zoo.

"This is their birthday celebration," McShea said, showing a photo of crowds gathering outside the yard of the zoo's panda house. "My birthday is never like this," he said.

McShea, who has made 30 trips to China for giant panda research, talked about the science.

Yuh, who became famous for her directorial debut of Kung Fu Panda 2 in 2011, said people would be surprised how much time it took to make everything from costumes to flowers authentic.