Jia Jia and De De: Names chosen in competition for Hong Kong's twin panda cubs
Kyiv • UNN
In Hong Kong, names were chosen for the first local panda cubs. According to the voting results, the babies were named Jia Jia and De De, which mean family happiness and success.
The first local giant panda cubs in Hong Kong have been named Jia Jia and De De after a large-scale voting competition. This is reported by Phys.Org, reports UNN.
Details
The names of the cubs, who are also affectionately known as "Older Sister" and "Younger Brother", were announced during a ceremony at Ocean Park, a theme park where the cubs, their parents and two other giant pandas brought from mainland China last year live.
These names won in a large-scale competition, which received more than 35,700 proposals.
The Chinese character "Jia" (家), which was used for the name of the little female panda, carries a message of support, and also reflects the element of family and a sense of grace. According to park officials, the name embodies the prosperity of families and the nation, as well as the happiness of the people.
The Chinese character "De" (的), which was used for the name of the baby boy, means success, carrying the connotation that Hong Kong is successful in everything. In addition, it has the same pronunciation as the Chinese character meaning virtue, the park said, suggesting that giant pandas have virtues that Chinese people value.
Ocean Park Chairman Paulo Pong noted that their institution adheres to the tradition of using the pronunciation of English names of pandas in Chinese writing. He said that "Jia" means "older sister", while "De De" means "younger brother". Cantonese is the native language of many Hong Kongers.
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This is a very positive pair of names. They are creative and carry a life-giving charge and optimism
The cubs, who live with their mother, attracted many visitors during the name presentation ceremony. People lined up to see the babies. .Jia Jia zealously explored the rock and walked on its surface in public, while De De climbed a tall tree and frolicked on its branches.
The birth of the twins in August made their mother, Ying Ying, the oldest panda mother in the world. After all, she gave birth to her first babies at a late mature age. Their popularity among residents, visitors and on social media has raised hopes for the growth of tourism in the city, where politicians are betting on the development of commercial opportunities for the "panda economy" project.
The Hong Kong administration is monitoring whether keeping six pandas in the park will help revive its business. Especially considering that caring for these animals in captivity is expensive. Last financial year, Ocean Park recorded a deficit of HK$71.6 million (US$9.2 million).
Let us remind you
In March, Hong Kong's twin panda cubs "Older Sister" and "Younger Brother" were first shown to visitors of the Ocean Park giant panda park. They came out in public together with their mother Ying Ying. The twins were born on August 15 last year.