Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan are two giant pandas that were sent by mainland China to Taiwan in 2008 as part of an exchange program. The exchange idea was first proposed in 2005, but the previous administration in Taiwan had refused to accept the pandas. After elections that resulted in a change of presidents in 2008, Taipei accepted the pandas, and they arrived in Taiwan on December 23, 2008. The two names were selected by a vote in the PRC and their combination, Tuan Yuan, means "reunion" in Chinese. The pandas are being housed at Taipei Zoo and have been exhibited to the public since the 2009 Chinese New Year.