14 Famous Pandas in China: Names, Bases & Latest Status
China’s famous pandas aren’t anonymous “national treasures” — each one has a confirmed birthday, a home base, and a specific reason millions of people know their name. A few are recent returnees from decades abroad whose current bases don’t tell the whole story: some are on public display, others are resting in care zones closed to visitors. Below are 14 of the most-searched individual pandas in China and Hong Kong right now, with the birthday, gender, location, and — where it matters — visibility status confirmed for each.
Table of Contents
1. Beijing — Meng Lan — The Escape Artist of Xizhimen
Chinese Name: 萌兰
Birthday: July 4, 2015
Gender: Male ♂️
Location: Beijing Zoo, Olympic Hall (奥运馆)
Why He Went Viral: Repeated escape attempts from his enclosure, including climbing the fence and tampering with a security camera.
Profile: Meng Lan is the third son of Beijing Zoo’s two biggest celebrity pandas, mother Meng Meng and US-born father Mei Lan, which earned him the nickname “Third Prince of Xizhimen.” Mei Lan himself was born September 6, 2006, at Zoo Atlanta, returned to China in February 2010, and still lives at the Chengdu Research Base, where he has since fathered several other cubs, including Meng Lan’s paternal half-sister Hua Hua. His real fame came from a documented 2021 escape attempt — he climbed a two-meter enclosure wall and calmly observed startled visitors before keepers lured him back with snacks. Locals also credit him with a mid-air “splits” move performed in trees and a habit of pressing himself against the viewing glass to interact with visitors. We’ve guided Beijing clients to his Olympic Hall enclosure specifically because his 8:00–10:00 AM activity window, paired with the zoo’s 9:30 AM feeding demonstration, is the most reliable time to actually see him moving rather than asleep.
2. Beijing — Ya Ya — The Princess Who Came Home Thin
Chinese Name: 丫丫
Birthday: August 3, 2000
Gender: Female ♀️
Location: Beijing Zoo — currently not on public display
Why She Went Viral: Photos showing visible weight loss and patchy fur during her final years at Memphis Zoo sparked a sustained domestic outcry and the hashtag “bring Ya Ya home.”
Profile: Ya Ya spent 20 years at Memphis Zoo under a research-loan agreement, and 2023 photos showing her thin and balding triggered nationwide concern before her partner panda, Le Le, died of heart disease that February. She returned to her birthplace, Beijing Zoo, in May 2023, but at 25-plus she’s now considered elderly and has been kept off public display for rest and adjustment ever since. Keeper updates posted in early 2026 describe her as visibly heavier and glossier-coated than during her final Memphis years, with her weight up from 75kg on arrival to 95kg — but visitors hoping to see her in person at the zoo currently cannot.
3. Chengdu — He Hua (Hua Hua) — The Reigning Queen
Chinese Name: 和花
Birthday: July 4, 2020
Gender: Female ♀️
Location: Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, Old Area near the South Gate
Why She Went Viral: A short, neckless, “rice-ball” body shape combined with a 2021 Universiade promotional role and a 2024 Spring Festival Gala appearance.
Profile: Hua Hua is currently the single most-searched panda in China. A jaw condition slows her eating relative to other pandas her age, which combined with her round, short-legged build has made her instantly recognizable — and instantly beloved. She lives alongside her twin sister He Ye, and in 2024 was given an honorary tourism-ambassador title by the Sichuan tourism bureau, a distinction genuinely used in local marketing material. Her enclosure queue regularly runs 2–3 hours during peak season; we tell every client booking a Chengdu panda tour with us to make her their literal first stop at opening, since the line typically doubles by mid-morning.
4. Chengdu — Run Yue — Er Gou, the Food-Defending Second Daughter
Chinese Name: 润玥
Birthday: June 5, 2020
Gender: Female ♀️
Location: Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, Juvenile Garden
Why She Went Viral: Distinctive upward-sweeping eye markings and a reputation for aggressively defending her food, including from base staff.
Profile: Run Yue is the daughter of Yuan Run and was born just 34 minutes before her famous “sworn sister” Ai Jiu, making her the unofficial class monitor of the Chengdu base’s 2020 cub cohort — the same cohort that produced Hua Hua and He Ye. As a cub she had a yellow-tinted coat from her mother’s grooming saliva, which made her easy to spot on national television appearances. Fans nicknamed her “Er Gou” (second dog) because she ranks second among her siblings, and she’s developed a reputation for strong food-guarding instincts that occasionally extend to swiping snacks meant for keepers.
5. Chengdu — Qi Yi — The WiFi-Antenna Panda
Chinese Name: 奇一
Birthday: July 1, 2016
Gender: Female ♀️
Location: Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding
Why She Went Viral: A single tuft of hair on her head that resembles a WiFi signal icon, paired with a viral 2017 video of her clinging to a keeper’s leg.
Profile: Qi Yi is the older of twin sisters born to mother Qi Yuan, and her single upright tuft of fur has become one of the most recognizable single features in the Chengdu base’s current roster. Her breakout moment came from a Weibo video showing her repeatedly climbing back onto a keeper’s leg no matter how many times she was carried away — captioned “doesn’t love bamboo, loves thighs” — which made her a household name almost overnight. She’s known for a distinctive bunny-hop gait and a strong preference for apples over other treats; keepers report she’ll run agitated laps around her enclosure if her preferred snack isn’t available.
6. Dujiangyan — Méi Lan — Rou Rou, the Aspiring Dance Champion
Chinese Name: 梅兰
Birthday: May 29, 2016
Gender: Female ♀️
Location: Dujiangyan Panda Valley
Why She Went Viral: A naturally smiling face shape and a years-long tradition of livestreamed birthday parties.
Profile: Not to be confused with the male, Atlanta-born panda of the same name, this Mei Lan — universally known by her nickname “Rou Rou” — is the only daughter of Japan-returned panda Mei Bang. As a cub she couldn’t stand upright until nine months old, well behind her peers, which only deepened her fan base’s affection once she caught up. She moved from the Chengdu base to Dujiangyan Panda Valley in December 2018 and now weighs 120kg, with a well-documented love of pumpkin treats and water play. Her birthday livestreams have run continuously for years and regularly draw tens of thousands of simultaneous viewers.
7. Dujiangyan — Tian Tian & Mei Xiang — The Elder Diplomats
Chinese Name: Tian Tian: 添添. Mei Xiang: 美香.
Birthday: Tian Tian: August 27, 1997. Mei Xiang: July 22, 1998.
Gender: Tian Tian: Male ♂️. Mei Xiang: Female ♀️.
Location: China Conservation and Research Center, Dujiangyan base — in the care/recovery zone, not the public visiting area
Why They Went Viral: 23 years as the Smithsonian National Zoo’s signature pandas in Washington, D.C., followed by a heavily covered November 2023 return to China.
Profile: Tian Tian and Mei Xiang left Wolong for the US National Zoo in December 2000 as “friendship ambassadors” and stayed for more than two decades, raising several cubs that periodically returned to China, including Tai Shan in 2010 and Bao Bao in 2017. Their final cub, Xiao Qi Ji, was born at the National Zoo in 2020, and the whole family flew back to Chengdu together in November 2023 after a 19-hour journey. Now in their late twenties — elderly for pandas — both live in adjoining enclosures in Dujiangyan’s dedicated care zone for breeding-age and senior pandas, an area built around full veterinary access rather than visitor flow. Visitors booking a Dujiangyan stop specifically to see them should know upfront: neither is part of the public viewing circuit, regardless of which Dujiangyan facility they visit.
8. Wolong — Fu Bao — South Korea’s Returned Princess
Chinese Name: 福宝
Birthday: July 20, 2020
Gender: Female ♀️
Location: Wolong Shenshuping Base, China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda
Why She Went Viral: The first giant panda born naturally in South Korea, raised under continuous media coverage at Everland Zoo before her 2024 return to China.
Profile: Fu Bao is the daughter of Korea-based pandas Ai Bao and Le Bao, and her 2020 birth as the first panda born in South Korea made her an instant national fixture there — visitors topped 5.4 million during her time at Everland. Under the China–Korea panda cooperation agreement requiring her return before age four, she left Korea in April 2024 to an emotional send-off, and after a quarantine period was introduced to the public at Wolong’s Shenshuping base that June. She’s one of Shenshuping’s rotating “F4” headline pandas, a roster the reserve updates periodically, so it’s worth confirming her current placement with reserve staff or the CCRCGP WeChat account on the day of any visit.
9. Wolong — Xiao Qi Ji — The Little Miracle Who Came Home
Chinese Name: 小奇迹
Birthday: August 21, 2020
Gender: Male ♂️
Location: Wolong Shenshuping Base — on public display
Why He Went Viral: Born at the Smithsonian National Zoo during the height of COVID-19 lockdowns, his livestreamed birth and growth gave isolated viewers worldwide something to follow daily.
Profile: Xiao Qi Ji (“Little Miracle”) is the son of Tian Tian and Mei Xiang, born at the US National Zoo in August 2020 after a name chosen by public vote. Unlike his elderly parents, he returned to China young enough to remain on the active display roster, and after quarantine was introduced to the public at Wolong’s Shenshuping base in December 2023. He’s grown into one of the base’s most requested pandas among English-speaking visitors specifically, since many followed his panda-cam livestream as cubs during the pandemic and now want to see him in person as an adult.
10. Chongqing — Yu Ai — The Independent Younger Sister
Chinese Name: 渝爱
Birthday: July 22, 2022
Gender: Female ♀️
Location: Chongqing Zoo
Why She Went Viral: A sharp contrast in personality with her twin brother, Yu Ke, plus a long list of sassy fan-given nicknames.
Profile: Yu Ai and her twin brother Yu Ke are the offspring of Canada-returned panda Er Shun and Chongqing-based panda Qing Qing, born 19 minutes apart in 2022. Where Yu Ke is affectionate and clingy with keepers, Yu Ai is independent and food-driven, with a personality fans have summed up in nicknames like “the second curator” and “boss lady.” Appliance maker Midea adopted both cubs in August 2023 and now sponsors their annual birthday celebrations at the zoo, which regularly draw queues before the scheduled 9 AM start.
11. Xi’an — Qi Zai — The Only Captive Brown Panda
Chinese Name: 七仔
Birthday: Discovered as a wild rescue in November 2009 at roughly two months old; an exact birth date was never recorded.
Gender: Male ♂️
Location: Qinling Four Treasures Science Park, Zhouzhi County
Why He Went Viral: He is the only brown-and-white giant panda currently living in captivity anywhere in the world.
Profile: Qi Zai was found abandoned and severely weakened in Shaanxi’s Foping Nature Reserve in 2009, one of fewer than a dozen brown pandas ever documented, all from the Qinling mountain range. A 2024 genetic study identified a recessive mutation in the Bace2 gene as the cause of his coloring, making him a genuine research subject as well as a tourist draw. His most viral moment came from accidentally biting a neighboring panda’s ear hard enough to fold it over during play — the park confirmed it was minor and both pandas recovered within days. He has a strong preference for carrots over the sweeter treats most pandas favor.
12. Dalian — Fei Yun — The Smiling Big Sister of the North
Chinese Name: 飞云
Birthday: July 30, 2010
Gender: Female ♀️
Location: Dalian Forest Zoo
Why She Went Viral: A naturally upturned, smiling mouth shape and a reputation as the toughest of “Dalian’s Three Treasures.”
Profile: Fei Yun was born at the Bifengxia base in Ya’an and relocated to Dalian Forest Zoo in September 2012 alongside fellow pandas Jin Hu and Miao Yin, together nicknamed “Dalian’s Three Treasures”. Despite her gentle, photogenic resting expression, keepers describe her as the most physically dominant of the trio — she once broke through an enclosure lock when a keeper was late opening her door, after which the zoo fitted her enclosure with reinforced hardware. She remains the zoo’s most-visited individual panda, with annual birthday livestreams drawing nationwide attention each July.
13. Luoyang — Ling Yan — The Singing, Dancing Top Idol
Chinese Name: 灵岩
Birthday: August 18, 2017
Gender: Male ♂️
Location: Luanchuan Bamboo Sea Wildlife Zoo
Why He Went Viral: Viral videos of him singing while bathing, dancing, and pushing a keeper’s cart around his enclosure.
Profile: Ling Yan was born at Wolong’s Shenshuping base and relocated to Luanchuan Bamboo Sea Wildlife Zoo in Henan in September 2020, becoming one of the few famous pandas living outside the Sichuan–Beijing corridor. His breakout came from a 2023 video showing him vocalizing rhythmically while splashing water during a bath, which staff and fans both described as “singing.” Since then he’s racked up viral moments for dancing, scooping ice from his pool, and pushing a supply cart around the exhibit unprompted — behavior keepers say reflects genuine boredom-driven creativity rather than training.
14. Hong Kong — Ying Ying, Jia Jia & Dak Dak — Hong Kong’s First Home-Grown Pandas
Chinese Name: Ying Ying: 盈盈. Jia Jia: 加加. Dak Dak: 得得.
Birthday: Ying Ying: August 16, 2005. Jia Jia & Dak Dak: August 15, 2024.
Gender: Ying Ying: Female ♀️. Jia Jia: Female ♀️. Dak Dak: Male ♂️.
Location: Ocean Park Hong Kong, Aberdeen — on public display
Why They Went Viral: Ying Ying became the oldest panda on record to give birth for the first time, one day before her 19th birthday, producing Hong Kong’s first-ever locally born pandas.
Profile: Ying Ying arrived in Hong Kong in 2007 alongside partner Le Le as a gift marking the 10th anniversary of the handover, and after years of unsuccessful breeding attempts, she gave birth to twins on August 15, 2024 — a daughter weighing 122 grams and a son weighing 112 grams, both extremely fragile at birth. The twins went on public display in February 2025 and were officially named Jia Jia and Dak Dak that May; by their first birthday in August 2025 they’d grown past 30kg, and Ocean Park has a documentary on their first year planned for release in 2026. A second pair, An An and Ko Ko, arrived from Sichuan in September 2024 and now share the park’s panda habitats, though they haven’t yet had an individual breakout moment of their own.
Why Some Famous Pandas Can’t Be Seen, Even When You Know Where They Live
Three of the pandas above — Ya Ya, Tian Tian, and Mei Xiang — illustrate a gap most panda guides skip entirely: knowing a panda’s base isn’t the same as knowing you can see it. All three are elderly, recently-repatriated diplomatic pandas now living in non-public care or recovery zones, kept off the visitor circuit for veterinary access and quiet rest rather than any failure of the base itself.
Separately, even publicly displayed pandas move between facilities for breeding, health monitoring, or conservation training, so today’s headline panda at one base can be transferred elsewhere within a year or two. Wolong’s “F4” roster — which currently includes Fu Bao — is the clearest example: the reserve has stated outright that the lineup is not fixed and updates it based on breeding schedules and health needs rather than public popularity.
This is exactly why we tell every guest the same thing before building an itinerary around one specific panda: confirm both the current base and the public-display status first, either through the facility’s official WeChat account or by asking us directly — a roster update or a quiet move to a care zone can happen between when an article gets written and when a flight gets booked. → See our Where to See Giant Pandas in China guide for base-by-base logistics that we keep current.
FAQ: Famous Pandas in China
Q: Which is the most famous panda in China right now?
Hua Hua (officially He Hua) is currently the most searched and most visited individual panda in China. She lives at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding and regularly draws queues of two hours or more during peak season.
Q: Can I see Tian Tian, Mei Xiang, or Ya Ya in person?
No, not currently. All three are elderly, recently-returned diplomatic pandas being kept in non-public care zones at their respective bases — Dujiangyan for Tian Tian and Mei Xiang, Beijing Zoo for Ya Ya — for veterinary monitoring and rest rather than public display.
Q: Are there two different pandas named Mei Lan?
Yes. The female Mei Lan at Dujiangyan Panda Valley, nicknamed “Rou Rou,” is written 梅兰 in Chinese and is unrelated to the male, Atlanta-born panda of the same English spelling, written 美兰, who is also Meng Lan’s father at Beijing Zoo. The two names sound identical in English but use different Chinese characters — the shared romanization is a coincidence, not a family connection.
Q: Why do some pandas have such specific, quirky nicknames?
Most nicknames originate from a single viral moment — a video, an enclosure incident, or a physical quirk like Qi Yi’s WiFi-shaped tuft or Fei Yun’s permanently upturned “smiling” mouth — rather than being officially assigned by the base.
Q: Can famous pandas be seen outside Sichuan and Beijing?
Yes. Several headline pandas, including Yu Ai in Chongqing, Qi Zai in Xi’an, Fei Yun in Dalian, Ling Yan in Luoyang, and Ying Ying’s family in Hong Kong, live well outside the Sichuan–Beijing corridor and each require a separate, standalone visit.
Q: Do famous pandas ever get moved to different cities or bases?
Yes. Pandas are transferred for breeding pairings, health treatment, or conservation training, and rosters like Wolong’s F4 are explicitly reviewed and updated rather than fixed. Always confirm current placement before building a trip around one individual.
Want help planning a trip around seeing a specific famous panda? Contact our team and we’ll confirm current placement and build your itinerary around it.
