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Tourist favorites, giant pandas from China, will be back on display at National Zoo

Two giant pandas from China arrived Tuesday at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. Their arrival marks the end of an 11-month chill in so-called panda diplomacy.

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Hong Kong debuts 2 giant pandas from Beijing, raising hopes for tourism boost

An an and ke ke are the third panda pair sent to hong kong since the city’s 1997 return to chinese rule.

See the San Diego Zoo's new giant panda bears in action

Xin Bao and Yun Chuan are the first giant pandas to arrive in the U.S. from China in 21 years.

• Hong Kong welcomed a new pair of giant pandas, An An and Ke Ke, gifted by Beijing in a grand ceremony, aiming to boost tourism in the city.
• An An and Ke Ke are the third panda pair sent to Hong Kong since the city’s 1997 return to Chinese rule.
• With the arrival of the new pandas, Hong Kong now houses six pandas, including the twins and their father, Le Le.

Hong Kong welcomed a new pair of giant pandas gifted by Beijing on Thursday with a lavish ceremony, raising hopes for a boost to the city's tourism.

An An and Ke Ke are the third pair of giant pandas to be sent to the city from mainland China since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997. Their arrival came after their new neighbor, Ying Ying, gave birth to twins last month and became the world’s oldest first-time panda mother on record.

With the addition of the new bears, the twins, and their father, Le Le, Hong Kong now houses six pandas.

GIANT PANDA CELEBRATES HER 20TH BIRTHDAY IN TAIWAN: 'FUNNY AND CUTE'

Chief Executive John Lee on Tuesday said An An is a 5-year-old male panda who is agile, intelligent and active, while Ke Ke, a 5-year-old female, is good at climbing, cute and has a gentle temperament.

Giant panda An An is seen at the Dujiangyan Base of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in southwestern China's Sichuan province in September 2024. (Ocean Park Hong Kong via AP)

The new arrivals will undergo two months of quarantine and adapt to their new home at Ocean Park, a zoo and aquarium that has long been a favorite of residents and tourists. Lee expressed hope that the public could meet the new bears in mid-December.

In October, the government will invite residents to propose new names that showcase the pandas’ characteristics.

Tourism industry representatives are optimistic about the potential impact of housing six pandas, hoping it will boost visitor numbers in Hong Kong. Officials have encouraged businesses to capitalize on the popularity of the new bears and newborn cubs to seize opportunities in what some lawmakers have dubbed the "panda economy."

Pandas are widely 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. Giant pandas are only found in China's southwest and their population is under threat from development.

But caring for pandas in captivity is expensive. A zoo in Finland agreed with Chinese authorities to return two loaned giant pandas to China more than eight years ahead of schedule because they were too costly for the facility to maintain amid declining visitors.

Giant panda Ke Ke is seen at the Dujiangyan Base of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in southwestern China's Sichuan province in September 2024. (Ocean Park Hong Kong via AP)

Hong Kong's Ocean Park has been hosting pandas since 1999, when the first pair, An An and Jia Jia, arrived in the financial hub shortly after it was handed back to China .

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Jia Jia, who died at 38 in 2016, is the world’s oldest-ever panda to have lived in captivity. The average lifespan for a panda in the wild is 18 to 20 years, while in captivity it’s 30 years, according to the Guinness World Records.

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Hong Kong welcomes new giant pandas gifted by Beijing, raising hopes for tourism boost

Hong kong has welcomed a new pair of giant pandas gifted by beijing, raising hopes for a boost to the city’s tourism, article bookmarked.

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Hong Kong welcomed a new pair of giant pandas gifted by Beijing on Thursday with a lavish ceremony, raising hopes for a boost to the city's tourism.

An An and Ke Ke are the third pair of giant pandas to be sent to the city from mainland China since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997. Their arrival came after their new neighbor, Ying Ying, gave birth to twins last month and became the world’s oldest first-time panda mother on record.

With the addition of the new bears, the twins, and their father, Le Le, Hong Kong now houses six pandas.

Chief Executive John Lee on Tuesday said An An is a 5-year-old male panda who is agile, intelligent and active, while Ke Ke, a 5-year-old female, is good at climbing, cute and has a gentle temperament.

The new arrivals will undergo two months of quarantine and adapt to their new home at Ocean Park, a zoo and aquarium that has long been a favorite of residents and tourists. Lee expressed hope that the public could meet the new bears in mid-December.

In October, the government will invite residents to propose new names that showcase the pandas’ characteristics.

Tourism industry representatives are optimistic about the potential impact of housing six pandas, hoping it will boost visitor numbers in Hong Kong. Officials have encouraged businesses to capitalize on the popularity of the new bears and newborn cubs to seize opportunities in what some lawmakers have dubbed the “panda economy."

Pandas are widely 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. Giant pandas are only found in China's southwest and their population is under threat from development.

But caring for pandas in captivity is expensive. A zoo in Finland agreed with Chinese authorities to return two loaned giant pandas to China more than eight years ahead of schedule because they were too costly for the facility to maintain amid declining visitors.

Hong Kong's Ocean Park has been hosting pandas since 1999, when the first pair, An An and Jia Jia, arrived in the financial hub shortly after it was handed back to China.

Jia Jia, who died at 38 in 2016, is the world’s oldest-ever panda to have lived in captivity. The average lifespan for a panda in the wild is 18 to 20 years, while in captivity it’s 30 years, according to the Guinness World Records.

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Giant Pandas From China Return to National Zoo in Washington, D.C.

A motorcade through the capital revived “panda diplomacy” between Washington and Beijing for the first time in nearly a year.

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By Michael Crowley and Eric Lee

Reporting from Washington

A pair of pandas from China arrived at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington on Tuesday, in a revival of so-called panda diplomacy after an 11-month pause that had left countless zoogoers disappointed by the absence of the lovable black-and-white bears.

After their long flight from China touched down at Dulles International Airport in Northern Virginia on Tuesday morning, the two 3-year-old giant pandas, Bao Li and Qing Bao, traveled in a police-escorted motorcade through central Washington. The bears rode in a pair of large FedEx delivery trucks bearing panda images on their sides and passed just blocks from the White House.

“DC’s newest celebearities are HERE!” the National Zoo giddily posted on social media. A message on the zoo’s website said they would be available for public viewing beginning in January, following what zoo officials have said would be a quarantine period.

The transfer was first announced in a statement by the China Wildlife Conservation Association, which said the pandas would visit the National Zoo under a 10-year agreement.

The National Zoo, which announced in May that the pandas would arrive by the end of the year, was closed on Tuesday to allow for a safe and orderly transfer of the bears.

The pandas have long been one of Washington’s top attractions, and excitement was already building outside the zoo on Tuesday morning ahead of their arrival. Several television camera crews along with amateur videographers staked out the zoo’s entrance. Baked by Yael, a bakery across the street from the entrance, was offering panda-themed cake pops and panda black-and-white cookies.

The pandas are part of a program, though, that has often benefited zoos more than the endangered species it was created to help save. A New York Times investigation found that China has removed more pandas from the wild than it has freed under the program, and no cubs born in American or European zoos, or their offspring, have ever been released.

The National Zoo was left without pandas for the first time in nearly 25 years when three of the bears, two adults and their cub, left in November for a nature preserve in China’s Sichuan Province. Pandas had been a near constant presence in the nation’s capital since 1972, when President Richard M. Nixon visited Beijing to establish diplomatic relations between the United States and China.

During the trip, Patricia Nixon, the first lady, mentioned her love for pandas to China’s premier, Zhou Enlai, who shipped a pair over two months later.

Chinese pandas had remained at the zoo since then under a series of agreements between the two countries, until the last one expired without an immediate renewal last year.

The absence of pandas from the United States prompted speculation that a recent downward slide in U.S.-China relations was to blame. Zoo officials have downplayed the idea, saying that the pandas had reached an age when they should return to China.

But China’s leader, Xi Jinping, suggested in a speech shortly after their departure last November that the pandas were a component of diplomacy between his country and the United States. Beijing was “ready to continue our cooperation with the United States on panda conservation,” Mr. Xi said during a mid-November visit to San Francisco.

Mr. Xi met with President Biden during that visit, in a summit that analysts say has helped ease tensions between the countries. A pair of pandas from China arrived at San Diego’s zoo in June .

In Washington on Tuesday, traffic halted along Connecticut Avenue as the panda motorcade rolled into the zoo’s entrance.

Kirsten Svane, who wore “panda ears” on her head for the occasion, teared up as she used her phone to record the grand arrival.

“You know, when Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and Xiao Qi Ji left, I felt like I was losing my best friends in a way,” Svane said, referring to the pandas that departed last fall.

“You just really get to know their personality, what they like, what they don’t like, their habits, like everything,” she added. “I’m excited to be able to, you know, form that relationship again.”

As of early Tuesday afternoon, the National Zoo’s famed panda cam page was not active. But a message assured visitors that live footage would be “coming soon.”

Greg Kendall-Ball contributed reporting.

An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated how long it had been since pandas were at the National Zoo. The zoo had no pandas for about a year following the death of the bear Hsing-Hsing in 1999; it was not left without pandas for the first time in more than 50 years after three pandas departed in November 2023. The error was repeated in a picture caption.

When we learn of a mistake, we acknowledge it with a correction. If you spot an error, please let us know at [email protected] . Learn more

Michael Crowley covers the State Department and U.S. foreign policy for The Times. He has reported from nearly three dozen countries and often travels with the secretary of state. More about Michael Crowley

• Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding
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Three panda living areas & the safari park.

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Businesses excited for tourism boom after pandas return to National Zoo

W ASHINGTON ( DC News Now ) –The National Zoo’s giant pandas are arguably its biggest attraction. With two new young pandas scheduled to move to the nation’s capital on Tuesday, there are going to be a lot of people traveling to D.C. to see them.

And that means a boom for businesses in the area too.

Though it’s been almost a year since the pandas left D.C., the imagery of the beloved fluffy, round, black-and-white bears has remained.

A boost in tourism for people going to see Bao Li and Qing Bao means a boost in business for Duke’s Counter, directly across the street from the zoo.

“We’ve been waiting, and we never lost hope. And we are happy for the entire DMV,” said Daniel Kramer, managing partner at Duke’s Counter.

“It’s really something that, you know, revitalizes not just Woodley Park/Cleveland Park and the National Zoo, but really is a lightning bolt for the entire city,” he continued.

Chuck Bramlett, who’s from Chattanooga, Tn., visited on Monday, around 24 hours before the pandas would arrive.

“Kind of disappointed we missed it by a day. We might have to come back,” Bramlett said.

Though the giant pandas return Tuesday, they’ll be quarantined for a month before the public can see them.

“I might have waited a month if I would have known that they’d be back. Otherwise, you know, it was a really nice zoo,” said Ray Mielke from Minneapolis, Mn. “I was glad that I saw everything. It seems like everyone around the zoo was pretty excited. All the placards and signs and everything.”

They’re not just cute. They’re a symbol of D.C.

“The pandas are a symbol of hope and a symbol of peace, right? And I think that’s something that we all can attach to and be a part of,” Kramer said.

Kramer said they would be going all in with the panda-monium in the coming month or two.

“The giant pandas are an iconic part of the Washington, DC story, both for locals and incoming travelers alike. The interest and excitement associated with their return directly benefits the entire city, bringing further interest and visitors to our hotels, restaurants and other attractions,” said Elliott L. Ferguson, II, president and CEO of Destination DC. “The National Zoo will be the only place in the U.S. to see giant pandas for free, which adds to the long list of ways DC stands out as a value destination.”

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.