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Lo Hoi-ying

Panda Watch is a weekly blog by the Post that tracks the latest on the baby panda twins – the first to be born in Hong Kong – until they are ready to meet the public. To read our previous blog entries, click here.
Hong Kong’s panda cubs are nearly two months old, with their own distinctive features starting to emerge.
“You can notice the black vests on their backs. Elder Sister has little black bumps on her shoulder while Little Brother does not,” Ocean Park said in an Instagram post.
A video posted by the park on Thursday showed the pair asleep, with the elder cub sticking out her tongue and waving her paws while in dreamland.
The birth of the twins, as well as the arrival of two other adult bears – An An and Ke Ke – gifted by Beijing, has prompted calls for the city to develop a “panda economy”.
Ocean Park recently rolled out related merchandise, including a HK$60 (US$8) doll similar to that used by caretakers to help the twins’ mother Ying Ying familiarise herself with the cubs’ scent.
Visitors can also buy a panda headband for HK$125, or a stuffed toy panda cradling a cub for HK$390. Folders, jigsaw puzzles and postcards of the twins are among other items available.

For the coming Halloween, items such as a panda wearing a witch’s hat and holding a pumpkin have also been rolled out for sale.
Cafes inside the park started serving panda-themed desserts last month, offering a panda black sesame panna cotta (HK$48), a panda red bean matcha mousse (HK$48) and a panda icing cookie (HK$28).
Retailers have jumped on the bandwagon, with Moko shopping centre in Mong Kok promoting a “Breathing Panda” campaign in the past month.
It featured a huge electronic panda moving in the mall, allowing customers to “feed” the mascot plastic bamboo leaves and “experience the close relationship between pandas and their caretakers”, Moko said.
However, the creature’s mechanical movements and its disproportionately large size drew the mockery of online users, with some questioning whether the event had helped boost the mall’s revenue.
“Is this supposed to save Hong Kong’s economy?” an Instagram user commented.
“Did pandas become a prehistoric creature?” another joked.

In mainland China, the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Sichuan province attracted 264,000 visitors during the recent National Day “golden week” holiday.
Provincial capital Chengdu as a whole welcomed nearly 20 million tourists, generating nearly 15 billion yuan (US$2.1 billion) in revenue during the seven days.
Panda-related hotel bookings more than tripled over the previous year during the holiday, according to the Sichuan government.
South Korea is also often cited as an example, having boosted its panda economy with Fu Bao, the country’s first naturally bred giant panda as part of a loan agreement with China.
A pop-up store selling Fu Bao merchandise was launched in the Hyundai Seoul department store last year, with over 100 types of products, including blankets, stationery and plushies.
Samsung C&T, the operator of Everland, an amusement part located in Yongin which is home to four giant pandas, enjoyed record first-quarter sales this year of 126 billion won (US$93.2 million), and attributed the surge to Fu Bao.
In Japan, a similar nationwide sensation was sparked in 2017, when Xiang Xiang became the first locally born giant panda in Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo in nearly three decades.

The zoo introduced three types of plush toys for the panda’s different stages of growth – two days old, 10 days and 20 days. A bundle of three cost 5,500 yen.
Japanese media estimated Xiang Xiang generated about 26.7 billion yen (US$178 million) in revenue from increased zoo admissions, merchandise sales and increased business of related enterprises.
Elder Sister’s weight: Over 1.6kg
Little Brother’s weight: Over 1.4kg
Development: Distinctive features starting to form


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Panda Watch: Hong Kong cubs starting to develop their own distinctive features

Elder Sister (left) and Little Brother. Photo: Ocean Park

Panda-themed merchandise at Ocean Park. Photo: Jelly Tse

Moko’s electronic panda display has been mocked by some social media users. Photo: Eugene Lee

Ocean Park has started serving panda-themed desserts. Photo: Dickson Lee

Panda Watch: Hong Kong twins ‘starting to see the world’, graduate from incubators to cots

Normally, one cub spends time with a caretaker as the other is nursed by Ying Ying, who is learning the ropes of motherhood. Photo: Ocean Park

The two cubs were also captured in a rare moment together, with the “Elder Sister” placing her paw on her brother’s arm. Photo: Ocean Park

“Elder Sister” now weighs more than 1.6kg. Photo: Ocean Park

Panda Watch: twins’ eyes open wider, spotlight shared with Hong Kong newcomers An An and Ke Ke

The cubs’ eyes have yet to fully open, but “separation” between the upper and lower eyelids has begun. Photo: Instagram/pandahk_official

The cubs’ have delighted fans with their playful behaviour on social media. Photo: Instagram/pandahk_official

Panda Watch: Hong Kong cub twins put on healthy weight at 5-week mark

“Little Sister” takes a small nap as she reaches five weeks old. Photo: Handout

“Little Brother” spends time with momma while his sister rests. Photo: Handout

Panda Watch: Hong Kong twins shows off strong hind legs ahead of 1-month birth anniversary

The twins will mark their one-month birthday on Saturday. Photo: Ocean Park

Ocean Park has said it is exploring product ideas to tie-in with the birth of the twins. Photo: Ocean Park

Fu Bao and Everland Resort zookeeper Kang Cheol-won have enjoyed celebrity status in South Korea. Photo: Handout

Panda Watch: tracking the growth of Hong Kong’s baby panda twins

News

Hong Kong

Society

Panda Watch: Hong Kong cub ‘winces’ at mother’s poo, experts explain scent marking behaviour

Ke Ke, one of the two adult giant pandas gifted to the city by Beijing. Photo: Instagram. 

Ocean Park has posted a funny moment between “Elder Sister” and Ying Ying in their den, in which the cub appears to wince at her mother’s poo. Photo: Instagram

Adult giant panda, An An, enjoying a snack of bamboo. Photo: Instagram

Panda Watch: Hong Kong cubs’ tails grow rounder, start to ‘disappear’ at 70 days

‘Big Sister’ has black patches around her eyes that look like eyeliner, says zookeeper Elke Wu. Photo: Ocean Park

The tails of “Big Sister” (left) and “Little Brother” have grown rounder and will appear to vanish as they grow older. Photo: Ocean Park

“Little Brother” has louder shrieks than his sister, who is gentler and quieter, zookeeper Elke Wu says. Photo: Ocean Park

Panda Watch: Hong Kong cub twins happier and healthier at 2 months old

Ocean Park shares its latest pictures of “Elder Sister” and “Little Brother”. Photo: Ocean Park Hong Kong

The two panda cubs have come a long way since they were born in August. Photo: Ocean Park Hong Kong

Panda Watch: Hong Kong’s cub twins are 3 weeks old and thriving

The fur on “Little Brother” is starting to develop into a panda’s trademark black-and-white coat. Photo: SCMP

“Elder Sister” gets some licks and a cuddle from mum. Photo: Ocean Park

A screengrab of Ying Ying and her cubs from an undated video posted on Thursday. Photo: Instagram/pandahk_official 

Panda Watch: Hong Kong’s cub twins start to develop black-and-white features and sprout fur

Photo: Facebook/Ocean Park Hong Kong

The cub nicknamed “Elder Sister”. Despite being twins, the cubs are growing at different rates, with the girl currently slightly larger than her brother. Photo: Ocean Park

“Little Brother” boasts more pronounced dark patches. Photo: Ocean Park

Ocean Park recently posted a video of Ying Ying being fed a bowl of water sweetened with apples, to encourage her to stay hydrated, recover faster and produce more milk. Photo: Ocean Park

Panda Watch: wiggling and sucking milk, Hong Kong’s cub twins survive first critical days after birth

The latest photos show the cubs have started to sprout sparse fur on their pink skin. Photo: Facebook/Ocean Park 

Ocean Park says ‘Elder Sister’ has little black bumps on her shoulder while ‘Little Brother’ does not


Ocean Park says ‘Elder Sister’ has little black bumps on her shoulder while ‘Little Brother’ does not.
