Japan-Born Panda Xiang Xiang Turns 6 in China

By Miho Tamura / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

16:31 JST, June 28, 2023

SHANGHAI — A panda conservation facility in China has uploaded video on its social media account of Xiang Xiang, a female giant panda who moved there in February after being born and raised at Tokyo’s Ueno Zoological Gardens. It is the first footage of the panda released since she turned 6 on June 12.

The 80-second-long video, which was recorded on Monday, shows Xiang Xiang eating bamboo shoots and looking back toward a staff member when called out to. According to the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Sichuan Province, the panda seems to have adjusted more to her new environment compared to when she initially arrived in China.

The video was posted on Weibo, China’s version of Twitter, and panda fans in Japan and China expressed their delight, writing comments such as “I’m glad I can see Xiang Xiang at age 6” and “It’s nice she seems to be doing well.”

It has yet to be decided when the panda will go on public display, according to the facility.