Hong Kong-born giant panda twins turn 1 year old

HONG KONG -- The giant panda twins born in Hong Kong, Jia Jia and De De, celebrated their first birthday on Friday with a party at their home at Ocean Park Hong Kong in the presence of devoted fans across Hong Kong.

The female panda Jia Jia and the male De De were born to Le Le and Ying Ying, the second pair of pandas gifted by the central government to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

At the amusement park's giant panda pavilion, caretakers prepared an iced birthday cake with frozen bamboo and carrots bearing the pair's initials and the number "1". The pair dashed toward the cake the minute they entered the chamber. After a short sniff, Jia Jia started munching on the cake while De De played with caretakers.

Fans swarmed the pavilion donning birthday hats and carrying plush toys resembling Jia Jia and De De. A woman surnamed Zhao from South China's Guangzhou city brought self-made fridge magnets inspired by the pair to swap giant panda merchandise with other fans.

"They are like my family members. Looking at them is therapeutic for me," she said.

Once pink cubs that weigh 122 and 112 grams at birth, the two giant pandas are now 30-kilogram young bears who had learned their names and are shifting their diet to bamboo leaves. They were the first giant pandas born in Hong Kong and their birth made Ying Ying the oldest first-time giant panda mother on record.

The pair is seen as a magnet for tourists, bringing markedly more visitors to Ocean Park Hong Kong and inspiring decorations on streets and ferries across Hong Kong.

Ocean Park Hong Kong aims to unveil two new habitats next to the current pavilion in 2027 for Jia Jia and De De to live independently as they grow older. It is also making a coming-of-age documentary for the pair scheduled for release in 2026.