Panda Xiang Xiang

This book records the whole process of the giant panda Xiang Xiang from being born in great anticipation to becoming a superstar all over Japan and then returning to China." It not only conveys the deep love of the Japanese people for Xiang Xiang， and the Chinese cultural connotation of peace and friendship conveyed by Xiang Xiang as a messenger of friendship between China and Japan， but also shows that China plays an active role in promoting international cooperation in biodiversity conservation.

Panda Xiang Xiang

He Jian

Sichuan People’s Publishing House

April 2024

68.00 (CNY)

He Jian

He Jian， a member of the Sichuan Provincial Writers Association， has won the Sichuan Journalism Award many times.

On June 12， 2017， the pink little Xiang Xiang was born. She was the first giant panda cub at Ueno Zoo to be naturally bred and survive.

Many people are curious: why are giant panda cubs pink? There are two reasons: first， a newborn giant panda cub’s skin is naturally pink， and its fur has not yet fully grown; second， there is an enzyme in giant panda saliva that turns red when exposed to oxygen. Under the affection of the panda mother， the cub’s fur gets licked and turns pink.

As mentioned before， since Shin Shin first gave birth in Japan in 2012， there were almost yearly reports of her potential pregnancies， with signs such as estrus， successful mating， reduced appetite， and decreased sleep time， capturing the hearts of the Japanese public. Five years later， Xiang Xiang was born， becoming the first naturally bred and surviving giant panda cub in Japan， making her extraordinarily precious and significant. From the moment of her birth， Xiang Xiang became the new “treasure” of Ueno Zoo.

Hiromi Watanabe， the breeding manager at the time of Xiang Xiang’s birth， said that because a newborn giant panda cub cannot regulate its body temperature， he and several keepers worked in three shifts， monitoring Xiang Xiang’s every move 24 hours a day for three months. This included observing the positions in which Shin Shin held Xiang Xiang and the nursing situations. “Those three months were incredibly stressful.” This nightly monitoring continued until she turned one year old.

At birth， Xiang Xiang was only about 14 centimeters long and weighed about 147 grams. By the thirtieth day after birth， her weight exceeded 1 kilogram. By the fortieth day， her eyes began to open slightly. By the ninetieth day， all her canine teeth had grown in.

By the hundredth day， Xiang Xiang’s body length reached 65 centimeters， and her weight was 6 kilograms. She also learned to walk. By the hundred and tenth day， her body length was 68 centimeters， and her weight was 6.9 kilograms. Her upper and lower canine teeth continued to grow longer， and her upper gum began to grow molars for crushing food. At the same time， her hind legs became stronger， allowing her to support her body steadily and crawl on all fours. Moreover， when a keeper passed by， Xiang Xiang seemed to follow them with her eyes.

By the hundred and fortieth day， Xiang Xiang’s curiosity grew stronger， her activity range expanded， and her movements became more varied. She would play with the bamboo leaves her mother ate. When she encountered something interesting， like a cylindrical piece of wood， she would approach it， stand up， and hold the wood to walk.

On the hundred-and-fiftieth day， the zoo only recorded Xiang Xiang’s weight—9.9 kilograms—without measuring her length， as she was too lively and kept moving， making it impossible to measure accurately.

Around the eleventh month， Xiang Xiang ate an apple for the first time and fell in love with its taste.

On June 12， 2018， Xiang Xiang celebrated her first birthday. By then， she weighed over 28.2 kilograms and would eat some apples every day after drinking her mother’s milk.

As Xiang Xiang’s permanent teeth emerged， her weight reached 37 kilograms， and the time to separate from her mother drew near. To prepare for her future independent life， Xiang Xiang began living apart from her mother in stages starting November 13， 2018， and by the age of one and a half， she was fully independent.

At one year and nine months， Xiang Xiang weighed 54.2 kilograms. In addition to bamboo， bamboo leaves， and apples， she consumed artificial milk daily. During this period， besides climbing trees， she enjoyed playing on the fire hoses prepared by the staff.

By June 5， 2019， just before her second birthday， Xiang Xiang weighed 61.6 kilograms， about half the weight of her mother Shin Shin. Still lively and adorable， she would climb trees and jump from high platforms to hammocks， playing happily.

She even broke bamboo shoots in half， holding one piece in each hand and alternately gnawing on them.

On June 12， 2020， Xiang Xiang， just turned three， weighed over 80 kilograms. By the age of four， her weight exceeded 90 kilograms. By five， she weighed over 100 kilograms...

With meticulous care from all sides， Xiang Xiang was growing up healthy and happy at Ueno Zoo.

Since her birth， Xiang Xiang had not been given an official name. This was not due to neglect but rather because of the great attention she received. In Japan， zoos typically name giant pandas around their one-hundredth day after birth. On September 20， 2017， exactly one hundred days after Xiang Xiang’s birth， Ueno Zoo launched a public campaign to collect name suggestions for the panda cub from July 28 to August 10， 2017.

Naming a giant panda in Japan is a significant process， and not all pandas are named through public submissions. Generally， naming a giant panda involves two stages. The first stage is giving a temporary name. After a panda cub is born， keepers give it a temporary name to distinguish it from other pandas， often based on its characteristics or appearance. The second stage is giving the official name， which is registered in the international giant panda pedigree.

During Ueno Zoo’s naming campaign， the zoo received a record-breaking 320，000 name suggestions from the public within two weeks. The Japanese people showed immense love for the Chinese giant panda’s offspring. Comments from the public included: “Although my suggestion might not be chosen， I still want to try naming her!” and “I hope a name that matches the cute panda cub will be selected.”

On August 30， 2017， a selection committee composed of six members， including Tetsuko Kuroyanagi， the honorary president of the Panda Protection Institute of Japan， voted on the 320，000 suggested names and shortlisted eight candidates. These included Xiang Xiang， Yang Yang， Mao Mao， Lian Lian， Li Zhen， Zhen Li， among others. After consulting with the Chinese side， the selection committee decided on the name “Xiang Xiang.”

On September 25， Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike held a press conference to officially announce the name “Xiang Xiang” for the new panda cub. She explained， “‘Xiang Xiang’ is the repetition of the Chinese character ‘香，’ which means fragrance. It’s very easy to pronounce and gives a fresh， cheerful impression like a blooming flower.”

Xiang Xiang became the third panda cub to be born and survive at Ueno Zoo， following Tong Tong (pedigree number 313) in 1986 and You You (pedigree number 345) in 1988. On the day the name “Xiang Xiang” was confirmed， news about the panda cub’s name topped the trending lists on major Japanese media platforms. Numerous Japanese netizens sent their blessings， hoping that she would grow up safely and become a symbol of peace.