The Chief Executive, John Lee, announced today (July 1) at a reception to celebrate the 27th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland that the Central Government will present two giant pandas to Hong Kong. Li Jiachao said that the two pairs of giant pandas sent by the central government in the past have accompanied generations of Hong Kong people to grow up, which is everyone's collective memory, and the upcoming pair of giant pandas will become a close "family" of Hong Kong people, bringing laughter and joy.
The good news announced by Li Jiachao has attracted widespread attention, and all sectors of society have welcomed it and thanked the central government for its kindness. Looking back at history, the relationship between giant pandas and Hong Kong began in 1999. On 17 May of that year, State Councilor Wu Yi, who presided over the opening of the Hong Kong Jockey Club Giant Panda Park in Ocean Park, presented a pair of giant pandas "An An" (male) and "Jia Jia" (female) to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on behalf of the Central Government to celebrate the second anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland, which was also the first time that Hong Kong welcomed giant pandas.
Giant panda Jiajia
Giant panda An An
Before Jiajia came to Hong Kong, she had five children and six children in the mainland, and was known as the "heroic mother"; An An, who is 8 years younger, lived at the Singapore Zoo for half a year before coming to Hong Kong in 1990 and was known as the "Panda Ambassador".
After the opening of the exhibition hall, it attracted a large number of citizens and tourists, and set off a "panda craze" in Hong Kong, and the cute giant pandas successfully captured the hearts of many Hong Kong people.
In 2015, at the age of 37, Jiajia was certified by the Guinness World Records as the "longest-lived giant panda in captivity", and then passed away in 2016 at the age of 38, equivalent to a human age of 114. An An later passed away in 2022 at the age of 35 years and 11 months, equivalent to 107 years for humans.
Giant pandas Lele and Yingying
In 2007, on the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government organized a "Giant Panda Naming Campaign", which was well attended by the public, and finally the authorities selected "Le Le" (male) and "Ying Ying" (female) to name the two two-year-old giant pandas out of 13,000 naming proposals.
At present, Lele and Ying Ying are still living in Ocean Park, and in previous years, it was rumored that Ying Ying was pregnant, but unfortunately she eventually miscarried.