Bei Bei, the giant panda cub at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, DC, had an unusual one-year birthday celebration on Saturday.

The first ladies of China and the United States both sent their greetings. China's Peng Liyuan sent her greeting from China, the home country of pandas a world away.

"The giant panda is China's national treasure. Bei Bei's birth is the fruit of collaboration between China and the US and a strong symbol of our friendship," Peng said in a message read by Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai on Saturday morning at a birthday celebration in the zoo's panda yard.