Hong Kong's baby pandas finally have names - Jia Jia and De De

Giant panda twin cubs, "Elder Sister" and "Little Brother," play in the Hong Kong Ocean Park in Hong Kong. File photo: AfriHKnews.

Hong Kong AP - Hong Kong’s first locally born giant pandas have finally been named and introduced as Jia Jia and De De.

The names of the cubs, affectionately known as “Elder Sister” and “Little Brother,” were announced Tuesday in a ceremony at Ocean Park, the theme park housing them, their parents and two other giant pandas that arrived from mainland China last year.

The names were the winning suggestions from residents in a naming contest that drew more than 35,700 entries.

The Chinese character “Jia,” from the female cub’s name “Jia Jia,” carries a message of support and features an element of family and a sense of auspicious grace. The name embodies the prosperity of families and the nation and the happiness of the people, the park said.

The Chinese character “De,” from the male cub’s name, means to succeed, carrying the connotation that Hong Kong is successful in everything. De also has the same pronunciation as the Chinese character for virtue, the park said, suggesting giant pandas possess virtues cherished by Chinese people.

Ocean Park chairman Paulo Pong said they followed tradition by using Mandarin pronunciation for the pandas’ English names. He said “Jia” sounds like a word in the Cantonese term for elder sister, while “De De” sounds a bit like the Cantonese phrase for little brother. Cantonese is the mother language of many Hong Kongers.

“It’s a very positive pair of names,” he said. “We have to be a bit creative here with the names.”

Ocean Park chairman Paulo Pong said they followed tradition by using Mandarin pronunciation for the pandas’ English names. He said “Jia” sounds like a word in the Cantonese term for elder sister, while “De De” sounds a bit like the Cantonese phrase for little brother. Cantonese is the mother language of many Hong Kongers.

“It’s a very positive pair of names,” he said. “We have to be a bit creative here with the names.”

The twins’ birth in August made their mother, Ying Ying, the world’s oldest first-time panda mom. Their popularity among residents, visitors and on social media raised hopes for a tourism boost in the city, where politicians touted the commercial opportunities as the “panda economy.”

Observers are watching whether housing six pandas helps the park revive its business, especially when caring for the animals in captivity is expensive. Ocean Park recorded a deficit of 71.6 million Hong Kong dollars ($9.2 million) last financial year.

The park recorded a nearly 40% growth in visitor flow and a 40% increase in overall income during a five-day holiday beginning May 1 in mainland China, said Pong, who hopes the growth momentum will continue through the summer, Halloween and Christmas seasons.

Pandas are considered China’s unofficial national mascot. The country’s giant panda loan program with overseas zoos has long been seen as a tool of Beijing’s soft-power diplomacy.

香港的熊貓寶寶終於有名字了。認識嘉嘉和德德

香港首隻在本地出生的大熊貓終於被命名並介紹為佳佳和德德。

週二，在海洋公園舉行的儀式上，熊貓幼崽的名字被公佈，它們被親切地稱為“姐姐”和“弟弟”。海洋公園是這兩隻幼崽、它們的父母以及去年從中國大陸抵達的另外兩隻大熊貓的家。

這些名字是命名競賽中居民們提出的獲勝建議，該競賽吸引了超過 35,700 份參賽作品。

雌性幼崽的名字「佳佳」中的「佳」字傳達了支持的訊息，具有家庭元素和吉祥的氣息。公園方面表示，這個名字寓意著家國繁榮、人民幸福。

雄性幼崽名字中的「德」字，意為成功，寓意香港事事順利。公園表示，「德」與漢字「美德」發音相同，顯示大熊貓具有中國人所珍視的美德。

海洋公園主席龐博文表示，他們遵循傳統，用國語發音來命名熊貓的英文名。他說，「嘉」聽起來像粵語裡的姐姐，「的」聽起來有點像粵語裡的弟弟。粵語是許多香港人的母語。

他說：“這是一對非常積極的名字。” “我們在名字上必須有點創意。”

海洋公園主席龐博文表示，他們遵循傳統，用國語發音來命名熊貓的英文名。他說，「嘉」聽起來像粵語裡的姐姐，「的」聽起來有點像粵語裡的弟弟。粵語是許多香港人的母語。

他說：“這是一對非常積極的名字。” “我們在名字上必須有點創意。”

這對雙胞胎於八月出生，讓它們的母親盈盈成為了世界上首次當媽媽年齡最大的大熊貓媽媽。它們在居民、遊客和社交媒體上的受歡迎程度，為該市旅遊業的發展帶來了希望，政客們將這些商業機會稱為「熊貓經濟」。

觀察家正在關注圈養六隻大熊貓是否有助於公園恢復業務，尤其是在照顧圈養動物成本高昂的情況下。海洋公園上個財政年度虧損 7,160 萬港元（920 萬美元）。

龐先生表示，在中國大陸從 5 月 1 日開始的五天假期中，該公園的遊客流量增長了近 40%，總收入增長了 40%，他希望這種增長勢頭能夠持續到夏季、萬聖節和聖誕節期間。

熊貓被視為中國非官方的國家吉祥物。中國與海外動物園的大熊貓租借計畫長期以來被視為北京軟實力外交的工具。