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0Square-faced monkey at Hefei wildlife park goes viral
合肥野生动物园“方脸猴”走红网络
With black hair and a square face, a monkey at Hefei Wildlife Park in Anhui province has been viral on Chinese social media since early May. The animal, a male black-capped capuchin, has been nicknamed Dazhuang — meaning "big and strong" — by internet users. Despite spending 10 years at the zoo, the primate had received little attention until a visitor posted a video of him on Douyin, China's version of TikTok, during the May Day holiday, according to the park.
合肥野生动物园一只黑毛方脸猴自5月初在中国社交媒体上走红。这只雄性黑帽悬猴被网友们亲切称为“大壮”，意为“大只和强壮”。根据园区信息，尽管已在园内生活10年，但此前鲜有人注意，直到五一假期期间，一位游客在抖音上发布了它的视频，它才爆火网络。
In Chinese, the character guo, meaning "country", is often used to describe a square-shaped human face, making the capuchin's distinctive look especially noteworthy online. Though Dazhuang is a primate, his facial features resemble those of a person, earning him the nickname "guo-character-face monkey".
在中文中，“国”字常用来形容方形人脸，因此这只猴子的独特外貌在网上引发热议。尽管大壮是一只灵长类动物，但其面部特征酷似人类，被称为“国字脸猴”。
Last year, the zoo introduced a female capuchin from Wuxi Wildlife Park in Jiangsu province. She gave birth to a baby with Dazhuang in April. The female monkey has been named Xiaomei, or "little beautiful", and is often referred to as Dazhuang's "wife". Another younger male is now called Xiaoshuai, meaning "small handsome", and is considered Dazhuang's "brother". Visitors frequently spot Dazhuang grooming Xiaomei while she cradles their baby. The trio has been dubbed "the happy life of Dazhuang" by fans.
去年，动物园从江苏无锡野生动物园引进了一只雌性黑帽悬猴，并于今年4月与大壮育有一子。雌猴被命名为“小美”，常被称为大壮的“妻子”；另一只年轻的雄猴则被称为“小帅”，意为“帅气的小家伙”，被视为大壮的“兄弟”。游客常看到大壮为小美梳理毛发，小美则怀抱幼崽。这一家三口被粉丝们称为“大壮的幸福生活”。
Some online users have described Dazhuang as "ugly-cute", though Zhang Chunxue, the animal breeder who cares for the capuchins, disagrees. "Among black-capped capuchins, the alpha male usually has a squarer face and a bigger build than the rest," Zhang said. "By those standards, Dazhuang is actually very handsome." Zhang added that the species has long, flexible tails capable of supporting their body weight, freeing up their hands for feeding or climbing. They are also among the few monkey species known to use tools, such as stones to crack nuts.
一些网友形容大壮为“丑萌”，但负责照料它的饲养员张春雪对此表示不同看法。她指出：“在黑帽悬猴中，首领雄性通常脸型更方、体型更大。按这个标准，大壮其实非常英俊。”张春雪还补充说，该物种拥有灵活的长尾巴，能支撑其体重，使双手可用于进食或攀爬。它们是少数已知会使用工具的猴类之一，例如用石头敲开坚果。
In recent years, animal "internet celebrities" have emerged across China, capturing public attention for their unique appearance, behavior or relatable expressions. Last year, a chubby leopard at Panzhihua Wildlife Park in Sichuan province went viral, with people comparing it to the "leopard officer "from the animated movie Zootopia. Earlier this year, white-faced saki monkeys Dudu and Huahua from Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo became internet sensations. In 2023, a rotund fox at Yunnan Wildlife Park was nicknamed "Gas Tank", sparking social media buzz.
近年来，中国各地涌现出多位“动物网红”，因其独特外貌、行为或拟人表情而受到公众关注。去年，四川攀枝花野生动物园的一只肥胖豹子走红，网友将其比作动画电影《疯狂动物城》中的“豹警官”。今年早些时候，南京红山森林动物园的白面僧面猴“杜杜”和“花花”轰动网络。2023年，云南野生动物园的一只圆滚滚的狐狸被昵称为“煤气罐”，在社交媒体上引发热议。
Pan Yuyu, a Hefei resident, said the phenomenon reflects the deep affection Chinese people have for animals. Zhou Liliang, general manager of Hefei Wildlife Park, said the zoo is working to maintain the natural environment of Dazhuang and his companions while minimizing the impact of increased visitor traffic.
合肥市民潘玉玉表示，这一现象反映了中国人对动物的喜爱。合肥野生动物园总经理周礼亮表示，园方正努力维护大壮及其同伴的自然环境，同时尽量减少游客增多带来的影响。
