The naming contest for Hong Kong’s first giant panda twins closed on the evening of March 7th. According to local media, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government’s Culture, Sports, and Tourism Bureau had earlier appointed Hong Kong Ocean Park to organize the naming competition for the panda twins, nicknamed “Jia Jie” (big sister) and “Xi Lao” (little brother). The nomination period ran from February 15 to March 7, receiving more than 35,700 suggestions. The results of the contest will be announced in the first half of this year, and the winners will be notified by the park.
Hong Kong Ocean Park stated that “Jia Jie” and “Xi Lao” are the nicknames of the twin giant panda cubs, and these names will be retained as their “milk names” in the future.
On August 15, 2024, at midnight, giant pandas “Ying Ying” and “Le Le” gave birth to a pair of twins – one female and one male. The female cub was affectionately called “Jia Jie” by Hong Kong citizens, while the male cub was nicknamed “Xi Lao” (meaning little brother in Cantonese). Additionally, the birth of this pair of twins marked the first time a giant panda successfully gave birth in Hong Kong, with the mother “Ying Ying” becoming the oldest recorded panda to successfully give birth for the first time.
On February 15, 2025, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government’s Culture, Sports, and Tourism Bureau, in collaboration with Hong Kong Ocean Park, launched the naming contest for the panda twins. Citizens were invited to suggest names based on the cubs’ physical characteristics, personalities, interactions, and their warm, delightful life moments. The following day, the panda cubs were officially introduced to the public at the Ocean Park’s “Giant Panda Journey” exhibition.