Panda twins born in HK make debut, melt hearts

The first giant panda cubs born in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region made their public debut on Sunday at Ocean Park Hong Kong, drawing hundreds of Chinese and foreign visitors to the theme park.

More than 500 panda fans, including locals and tourists, both young and old, lined up outside the park's exhibition hall — some of them arriving hours before the gates opened at 10 am — to catch a glimpse of the six-month-old twins, a male and a female, fondly nicknamed "little brother" and "elder sister". Many of them flaunted panda-themed accessories such as headbands, hats, backpacks and plush toys.

Guided by park employees, the long line proceeded in an orderly manner, with many visitors briskly making their way straight to the panda pavilion. The park is allowing fans to see the cubs from 10 am to 3 pm, with each visitor allotted roughly five minutes in front of the pavilion.

Phoenix Wong, a 29-year-old telecom professional from Tin Shui Wai in the New Territories, was among the first to meet the panda twins on Sunday.

Wong said she arrived at the theme park, located in Hong Kong's Southern District, at around 7:30 am and waited in line. The moment was worth the wait, as the cubs "melted my heart", she said, noting that many visitors felt the same way as they scrambled to take photos of the adorable twins.

Calling herself a "devoted superfan" of the cubs, Wong said she has been closely following their journey since birth. While the park offers visitors various panda-themed photo props and activities, Wong said she would like to have interactive opportunities with the twins, such as making snacks for them or feeding them. Also, more souvenirs inspired by "elder sister" and "little brother" will be appreciated, she added.

Kris Wong, a 32-year-old banking professional, said the cubs appeared very healthy and happy as they played on a swing and pulled off antics, drawing loud cheers from the crowd. However, he said five minutes weren't enough and hoped park authorities could increase the time allotted to each visitor.

'Unique connection'

Another SAR resident, surnamed Cheung, shared her enduring love for the pandas, saying that she visits Ocean Park twice each month. Although she has seen pandas in Chengdu, Sichuan province, in Beijing, in the Macao Special Administrative Region and in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, she said she felt a "unique connection" with the twins as they were born in her city.

Cheung added that she hopes Hong Kong would one day be home to more pandas, because "a larger panda family could make the city livelier".

The twins were born last August to giant pandas Ying Ying and Le Le, who were gifted to the SAR by the central government. The cubs weigh more than 10 kilograms each, a significant increase from their birth weight of 120 grams.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Saturday that residents have been invited to join a competition to formally name the twins by submitting their suggestions online. The competition will run through March 7, and the results are expected to be announced in the first half of the year.

The twins have raised Hong Kong's giant panda count to six, making the city home to the largest panda population outside the Chinese mainland.

The SAR kicked off a series of activities ahead of the cubs' public debut, including launching 3D panda mailboxes, a sculpture exhibition and a special edition of the Octopus public transportation and convenience card.