Hong Kong has officially named its first locally born giant panda twins Jia Jia and De De. The cubs, affectionately called “Elder Sister” and “Little Brother,” were introduced during a ceremony at Ocean Park, where they live with their parents and two other pandas that arrived from mainland China last year.
The names were selected through a public contest that attracted over 35,700 entries. “Jia” symbolizes family support, prosperity, and happiness, while “De” represents success and virtue, qualities highly valued in Chinese culture. Ocean Park’s chairman Paulo Pong explained that the names use Mandarin pronunciation, but sound similar to Cantonese terms for elder sister and little brother, connecting to the local language.
During the unveiling, Jia Jia was seen exploring their habitat while De De climbed a tree, delighting visitors like Polly Luk, a dedicated fan who said she still prefers calling them by their nicknames.
Born in August, the twin pandas made their mother Ying Ying the world’s oldest panda to give birth for the first time. Their arrival has generated excitement and optimism for boosting tourism, a phenomenon dubbed the “panda economy.”
Ocean Park hopes that housing six pandas will help revive its business, despite the high costs of caring for the animals. Last year, the park reported a loss of HK$71.6 million (about $9.2 million). However, visitor numbers and income grew nearly 40% during a recent five-day holiday, encouraging park officials to expect continued growth through upcoming busy seasons.
Giant pandas are widely regarded as China’s unofficial national symbol, and Beijing’s panda loan program to foreign zoos is often seen as a form of cultural diplomacy.
