Qi Zhen (奇珍/Qizhen)’s arrival into the world was anything but ordinary, marked by a dramatic birth that required swift intervention and seven stitches to save her tiny, delicate body. Her story is one of resilience and survival, and from those humble beginnings, she grew to become an extraordinary ambassador of hope and conservation. With her impressive lineage and inspiring life, Qi Zhen is not just a panda; she’s a symbol of strength, tenderness, and the beauty of second chances.
Basic Information
- Name: Qi Zhen (奇珍)
- Birth Date: September 4, 1999
- Birthplace: Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding
- Gender: Female
- Mother: Mei Mei (梅梅)
- Father: Ha lan (哈兰)
- Twin Sister: Qi Yuan (奇缘)
- Siblings: Xiong Bang (雄浜), Long Bang (隆浜), Qiu Bang (秋浜), Xing Bang (幸浜), Liang Bang (良浜), Ai Bang (爱浜), Ming Bang (明浜)
Intriguing Details of Panda Qi Zhen
Incident at Birth: Qi Zhen’s birth was fraught with difficulties. As it was Mei Mei’s first experience as a mother, she was understandably nervous. The arrival of the small, red, and hairless cub, Qi Zhen, startled her. In her panic, Mei Mei accidentally scratched Qi Zhen’s belly, resulting in a severe injury that almost tore the delicate skin on her chest. Fortunately, the experienced staff at the breeding base intervened swiftly, risking injury themselves to rescue Qi Zhen from her mother’s distress. They performed emergency surgery to stitch up her wound, which required an impressive seven stitches to secure the skin. In honor of this challenging ordeal, the caretakers named her “Qi Zhen,” a name that resonates with the significance of her “seven stitches” surgery.
Breeding Achievements of Panda Qi Zhen
- Zhen Da (珍大) and Zhen Xiao (珍小): Born in 2006, this pair of twin brothers. Zhen Da once worked as a “panda ambassador,” making several trips to different zoos. Zhen Xiao, born weighing only 51 grams, became the lightest giant panda cub ever born at the time, attracting considerable attention.
- Bei Bei (贝贝) and Huan Huan (欢欢): Twin sisters born in 2008, both of whom participated in panda exchange programs. Huan Huan even gave birth to her own cub at the Beauval Zoo in France.
- Zhen Hao (珍好) and Zhen Qiao (珍巧): A pair of fraternal twins born in 2010. Due to a mix-up with the birth dates, the keepers mistakenly thought they were born on the same day as Zhen Da and Zhen Xiao, so they named them “Zhen Qiao” and “Zhen Hao,” meaning “truly coincidental.”
- Zhen Zhen (真真) and Qiao Qiao (巧巧): A pair of twins born in 2011. Since they were born near the Qixi Festival, their names were chosen to be a play on the festival’s tradition of threading needles and praying for skills, meaning “Zhen Zhen” and “Qiao Qiao.”
- Zhen Duo (珍多): A male panda born in 2013, now residing with Mao Zhu (毛竹) at the Yunnan Wild Animal Park.
- Zhen Xi (珍喜): A female panda born in 2017, adopted by Sichuan Airlines, and also known as San You (三优).
