HONG KONG — Hong Kong’s first domestically born big pandas have lastly been named and launched as Jia Jia and De De.
The names of the cubs, affectionately often called “Elder Sister” and “Little Brother,” have been introduced Tuesday in a ceremony at Ocean Park, the theme park housing them, their mother and father and two different big pandas that arrived from mainland China final yr.
The names have been the profitable options from residents in a naming contest that drew greater than 35,700 entries.
The Chinese language character “Jia,” from the feminine cub’s identify “Jia Jia,” carries a message of assist and options a component of household and a way of auspicious grace. The identify embodies the prosperity of households and the nation and the happiness of the individuals, the park mentioned.
The Chinese language character “De,” from the male cub’s identify, means to succeed, carrying the connotation that Hong Kong is profitable in every little thing. De additionally has the identical pronunciation because the Chinese language character for advantage, the park mentioned, suggesting big pandas possess virtues cherished by Chinese language individuals.
Ocean Park chairman Paulo Pong mentioned they adopted custom by utilizing Mandarin pronunciation for the pandas’ English names. He mentioned “Jia” feels like a phrase within the Cantonese time period for elder sister, whereas “De De” sounds a bit just like the Cantonese phrase for little brother. Cantonese is the mom language of many Hong Kongers.
“It is a very optimistic pair of names,” he mentioned. “We’ve got to be a bit artistic right here with the names.”
The cubs, who dwell with their mother, attracted crowds of tourists on Tuesday. Jia Jia explored a rock and walked round their space, whereas De De climbed a tree.
Customer Polly Luk, a panda lover with an annual cross to the park, spent an hour in line to see the cubs.
“I’m so used to their previous names. Even now they’ve new names, I am going to nonetheless name them ‘Elder Sister’ and ‘Little Brother’,” Luk mentioned.
The twins’ beginning in August made their mom, Ying Ying, the world’s oldest first-time panda mother. Their reputation amongst residents, guests and on social media raised hopes for a tourism increase within the metropolis, the place politicians touted the business alternatives because the “panda economic system.”
Observers are watching whether or not housing six pandas helps the park revive its enterprise, particularly when caring for the animals in captivity is dear. Ocean Park recorded a deficit of 71.6 million Hong Kong {dollars} ($9.2 million) final monetary yr.
The park recorded a virtually 40% development in customer circulation and 40% improve in total earnings throughout a five-day vacation starting Could 1 in mainland China, mentioned Pong, who hopes the expansion momentum will proceed by means of summer time, Halloween and Christmas seasons.
Pandas are thought of China’s unofficial nationwide mascot. The nation’s big panda mortgage program with abroad zoos has lengthy been seen as a device of Beijing’s soft-power diplomacy.
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Related Press video journalist Alice Fung contributed to this report.
