Guangzhou’s triplet cub “Meng Meng (萌萌)” has given birth to her first baby, making it the first giant panda cub born at the panda center in 2024. This month, this “Meng Second Generation” just celebrated its one-month birthday. Moreover, Hong Kong will welcome a new pair of giant pandas before National Day, bringing the total number of giant pandas living in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area to 30.
Handsome and beautiful “Xing Yi (星一)” and “Ya Yi (雅一),” the world’s only surviving triplets “Meng Shuai Ku,” the symbols of Hong Kong’s prosperous and joyful economy “Le Le” and “Ying Ying,” and the “Happy and Healthy” family of four from Macau… Giant pandas in the Greater Bay Area reside in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Dongguan, Hong Kong, and Macau, each with its unique characteristics, and all are lovable.
Since their association with giant pandas at the end of the last century, the “panda fever” in the Greater Bay Area has continued for over 20 years, accompanying generations of residents. Statistics show that since giant pandas “Jia Jia” and “An An” arrived in Hong Kong in 1999, about 55 million people have visited the park to see them. On the first day of “Ying Ying” and “Le Le” in Hong Kong in 2007, around 35,000 visitors came to see them. By October 2023, the panda park at Chimelong Safari Park had nearly 5 million visitors.
The economic benefits brought by these “cute beasts” are also significant. For example, buying a 50 yuan ticket to the Sichuan Chengdu Panda Breeding Research Base can drive local transportation, accommodation, and other spending up to 1450 yuan. The economic benefit generated by panda “Xiang Xiang” from birth to returning to China in just 6 years exceeded 60 billion yen. Former Chairman of Hong Kong Ocean Park, Mr. Sergei Chui, believes that the arrival of the new pair of pandas will greatly boost Hong Kong’s tourism industry, attract new visitors to Ocean Park, and increase sales of panda-themed merchandise.
Experts believe that, driven by “panda fever,” the scope and methods of its influence and dissemination have further increased. The economic value of “panda fever” is more prominent and widely known, and the concept of protecting giant pandas and wildlife is deeply ingrained through diverse and comprehensive channels and platforms.
13 Giant Pandas Born in the Bay Area
Giant panda breeding is recognized as a global challenge, especially in the humid and hot southern regions. With advanced giant panda conservation experience and technology, the Greater Bay Area now has 13 “Bay Area-born” giant pandas.
Among them, as the Guangdong base of the China Giant Panda Conservation and Research Center, Chimelong has successfully bred 8 litters of 11 cubs, including the world’s first giant panda triplets, and successfully bred the second generation in South China, “Long Zai” and “Meng Er Dai,” achieving “three generations under one roof.”
The twin brothers “Kang Kang” born in Macau have grown from a weak 50 grams to over 100 kilograms as adults. Macau is also actively communicating with mainland units, hoping to include “Jian Jian” and “Kang Kang” in the national giant panda breeding program.
“Jia Jia” and “An An” both passed away at the Hong Kong Ocean Park at the ages of 38 and 35, setting records for the longest-lived female and male captive giant pandas globally. At 38 years old, they are equivalent to a human age of 114 years – a true longevity record for pandas. Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee hopes that the new pair of giant pandas will give birth to a new generation, bringing more warmth and joy to Hong Kong.
Secrets to the Bay Area’s Success in Raising National Treasures
How has the Greater Bay Area managed to care for giant pandas so well? From their diet to their living conditions and activities, the care team spares no effort.
Pandas in the Greater Bay Area eat bamboo primarily consisting of local species like golden bamboo and mao bamboo. Bamboo and bamboo leaves are transported from Guangzhou to Hong Kong and Macau twice a week to ensure a plentiful supply of fresh and delicious bamboo.
The “panda keepers” also provide Cantonese delicacies like “cool tea” and “pig’s trotters with ginger” as enrichment for “afternoon tea”; they also use seasonal flowers such as kapok, bauhinia, and golden trumpet tree to add variety to the pandas’ environment, allowing them to experience the local “old Cantonese” atmosphere.
The venues are equipped with low-temperature air conditioning, ice beds that don’t melt, artificial snow, and chilled fruits as summer cooling tools. Toys like hammocks, dragon boats, and small trains are constantly updated to make the pandas’ lives more comfortable and enrich their natural behaviors.
Local keepers from the Greater Bay Area have even learned Sichuan dialect to reduce the pandas’ sense of strangeness and help them adapt better to their new environment. Today, the national treasures living in Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau are used to Cantonese commands, and “Le Le” and “Ying Ying” can even understand instructions in Cantonese, Mandarin, and English.
The “cute powers” of these national treasures bring much warmth and joy to the Greater Bay Area, becoming a significant force in the cultural and tourism market, and further strengthening the bond between the mainland and Hong Kong-Macau.