On June 28, 2024, at 7:30 PM, the Chongqing Zoo welcomed a new panda cub, born to the giant panda “Haoqi” in Jiulongpo District. This event once again brought the zoo into the spotlight.
“Haoqi” was mated at the China Giant Panda Conservation and Research Center in Wolong, Sichuan, in late February of this year. When people think of giant pandas, Sichuan’s Wolong often comes to mind first, as wild pandas are only found in Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces in China.
However, many people are unaware that Chongqing Zoo currently has the largest number of captive giant pandas among city zoos in China. How did Chongqing Zoo get its first panda, and what is its connection with Sichuan? What collaborations have Sichuan and Chongqing undertaken in panda research and breeding in recent years?
Over the past few days, reporters interviewed relevant researchers to explore the 60-year-long panda bond between Sichuan and Chongqing.

The First Giant Panda at Chongqing Zoo Rescued in Sichuan
“Chongqing Zoo was established in 1955 and was initially called Xiqu Park. It wasn’t until the early 1960s that we got our first giant panda,” said Yin Yanqiang, a panda technical supervisor and ecologist at Chongqing Zoo. This panda was a wild giant panda rescued by staff in Pingwu, Sichuan.
Yin explained that wild pandas need rescuing in certain situations: some panda cubs become abandoned when their mothers encounter accidents while foraging and need immediate care to survive; others get injured or sick in the wild and require rescue; and sometimes, food shortages due to special circumstances necessitate rescue efforts.
In the 1960s to 1980s, bamboo flowering and dying in certain areas of Sichuan led to food shortages for pandas, and dead pandas were sometimes found in the wild. Chongqing Zoo frequently sent staff to places like Wolong for wild panda rescue missions, carefully caring for the rescued pandas.

“At the time, the zoo lacked experience in feeding and breeding pandas, including formulating milk for panda cubs and determining the appropriate feeding amounts,” Yin said. Breeding captive pandas faced three major challenges: difficulty in estrus, mating, and cub survival.
He further explained that captive pandas typically go into estrus once a year for just a few hours, and successful breeding is influenced by factors like feeding conditions, climate, maternal age, and health. Pandas communicate their readiness to mate through sounds, chemical signals, and behaviors, and success depends on mutual compatibility and the ability to mate. Additionally, some cubs are too small to survive.
After the panda breeding team in Wolong overcame these challenges, Chongqing Zoo engaged in nearly 30 years of panda exchanges and breeding cooperation, frequently communicating with and visiting Wolong to gradually master mature panda breeding techniques. In September 1985, Chongqing Zoo successfully bred its first panda.
“This breakthrough was exhilarating for us,” recalled Zhang Naicheng, director of the panda pavilion at Chongqing Zoo. At the time, the pavilion lacked air conditioning, so they used ice blocks to cool the pandas and warmed the cubs with their own body heat in the absence of incubators.
The World’s Longest-Living Captive Panda “Xinxing” Originates from Sichuan-Chongqing Collaboration
Chongqing Zoo’s panda breeding entered a “fast lane” after 2000, with an expanded population and many “celebrity pandas.”
“Since the first panda arrived, Chongqing Zoo has developed over 60 years to become one of the few city zoos in China capable of independently breeding pandas,” said Zhang Naicheng. “In addition to single births, we have successfully bred twins and triplets.” To date, Chongqing Zoo has had 32 panda births, including 13 sets of twins and one set of triplets.
Chongqing Zoo is now the city zoo with the most pandas in China, housing 23 pandas. The panda pavilion, after three expansions, now covers nearly 20,000 square meters and is one of China’s earliest panda breeding bases.
“These 23 pandas include those bred in-house, exchanged with Sichuan, and those from cooperative breeding programs,” said Yin Yanqiang. Exchanging pandas optimizes genetic diversity, improving health and sustainability.

The world’s longest-living captive panda, “Xinxing,” exemplifies this Sichuan-Chongqing exchange. Born in August 1982 in Baoxing County, Ya’an, Sichuan, Xinxing was sent to Chongqing Zoo in June 1983. She even exhibited at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada, captivating millions. After returning, she became a “celebrity panda.”
In 1992, Xinxing mated with the panda “Chuanchuan” from Shanghai Zoo and had her first cub. Her numerous descendants now live in over 20 countries. Her son “Lingling” contributed significantly to natural mating techniques for captive pandas after being exchanged to Sichuan.
“Unfortunately, Xinxing passed away on December 8, 2020, at 13:25, due to multi-organ failure at 38 years old,” Zhang Naicheng said. With a lifespan equivalent to 110-140 human years, she was the world’s oldest captive panda.
“Ershun’s” Overseas Journey
“Ershun,” born in Chongqing Zoo in August 2007 and Xinxing’s granddaughter, also became an internet sensation. Her father, “Lingling,” and her mother, “Yaya,” from Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, sent her to Toronto Zoo in March 2013 with “Damao” for a joint Canada-China conservation and breeding research project.
In October 2015, Ershun gave birth to her first pair of twins at Toronto Zoo. Named “Jia Panpan” and “Jia Yueyue,” they returned to Chengdu Research Base in January 2020. Later, Ershun and Damao also returned to China, with Jia Panpan moving to Chengdu Zoo and Jia Yueyue to Chongqing Zoo.
In July 2022, Ershun had another pair of twins in Chongqing Zoo, named “Yuke” and “Yuai.” These twins quickly gained a fan base and even served as ambassadors at the 2nd Belt and Road International Skills Competition, charming guests with their unique appeal.

Amid Sichuan-Chongqing panda collaborations, pandas “Liangliang” and “Lanxiang” from Wolong’s China Giant Panda Protection and Research Center also became stars. “Liangliang,” at 24, is the oldest panda in Chongqing Zoo, and his sister, “Lanxiang,” successfully birthed two sets of twins, enhancing the zoo’s panda family.
As the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle deepens, panda-related exchanges and collaborations increase, promoting Sichuan-Chongqing as world-class leisure tourism destinations. Pandas frequently appear in exhibitions, celebrating New Year events and other activities.
“On May 2, Chongqing Zoo set a record for daily and total visitors during the May Day holiday, many drawn by the pandas,” said a Jiulongpo District cultural tourism official. The district has developed panda-themed cultural products, including incense holders, silk scarves, and toys, which are popular with visitors.