bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Wynna Wong

Tens of thousands of people flocked to Ocean Park to celebrate 100 days since Hong Kong welcomed its local giant panda cubs into the world, with visitors even catching a glimpse of the twins’ father for the first time in two months.
Their birthday also comes as the city kicks off a slew of panda-related promotions.
Park chairman Paulo Pong Kin-Yee also said on Saturday that the two new adult bears gifted by Beijing to mark the 27th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese sovereignty should be able to meet the public next month as scheduled.
“An An and Ke Ke are adapting very well … We hope they can meet everyone soon in December,” he said.
The park also reopened its “Giant Panda Adventure” enclosure. The space had been closed since August 15 to prepare for the birth of “Elder Sister” and “Younger Brother”, and the arrival of the two adult bears gifted by Beijing.
But the twins’ father, Le Le, was the only one among the park’s six giant pandas able to meet the public on the big day.
“We have been following the pandas’ journey every single day on Instagram,” said homemaker Margaret Lo, who was visiting the park with her five-year-old son James.
Lo was referring to the launch of the park’s panda-dedicated social media accounts on August 16 to update the public about the bears’ daily lives.
“My son has been saying every day he wants to meet the pandas soon, so I took him here to see Le Le first as soon as the [enclosure] reopened,” the 43-year-old added.
“We will come again when the babies are ready; we hope that will be soon.”
James, meanwhile, said he was “happy” to see Le Le and enjoyed catching a glimpse of the bear’s black and white fur up close.

Early birds also received packets of red eggs and ginger pork knuckles – a traditional Chinese dish typically served to family and friends after a baby is born.
Retiree Yiu King-kwong said he managed to get himself some of the snacks before they were all gone.
“I learned from the news that the enclosure was opening again today, so I came to take a look,” the 78-year-old said.
He said the giant pandas, especially the twins, had brought “a lot of much-needed joy” to Hong Kong after a tumultuous few years, including social unrest and pandemic lockdowns.
While the twins were not yet ready to meet the public, the park is live-streaming the duo’s daily shenanigans on a giant LED screen at Whiskers Theatre. The broadcasts start at noon and 2pm on Saturday and Sunday, with replays to air in the evenings.
Miki Cho Hoi-yee, who described herself as a “superfan” of the panda twins, said she felt ecstatic after catching the very first live stream on Saturday.
“They are so adorable, Little Brother was being naughty and bothering his sister with his paws,” the 33-year-old said. “I really wish they could just put a camera there 24/7 so we could watch them all day long.”
Cho said she had spent hours reading posts and watching clips about the cubs on their social media and could tell between them apart, noting “Elder Sister” had slightly upwards-slanted eyes and her brother was the more active one.
The park has also opened a new exhibit documenting the cubs’ journey so far, with special merchandise to be made available.

Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung Yun-hung also visited the park on Saturday and said the pandas would serve as tourism ambassadors for Hong Kong, among a list of other related promotion efforts.
“We will work together with Ocean Park and the Tourism Board to promote activities … We hope to launch a citywide promotional campaign that creates a welcoming atmosphere with the pandas,” he said.
“The new giant pandas will also serve as ambassadors for Hong Kong tourism, visiting various places to introduce attractions, ensuring the unique travel features of Hong Kong can be experienced everywhere, making it even more appealing to visitors.”
Tourism Board executive director Dane Cheng Ting-yat said promotional videos featuring the pandas “taking tourists around Hong Kong” would also be produced.
Authorities also announced that a “Hello Panda” carnival would be held from December 11 to 21 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui, featuring art installations, interactive performances and a photography exhibition.
A partnership with arts studio AllRightsReserved – the company behind a popular Doraemon exhibit earlier this year as well as giant floating ducks in the harbour last year – will see a roving giant panda exhibition across several weekends in December.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu previously said the public could eventually meet the panda cubs in early 2025, adding that mother Ying Ying was still recuperating after giving birth.
Authorities also earlier said the pair of adult giant pandas that arrived from Sichuan province on September 26 would need to undergo a month-long quarantine and at least another month to adapt to their new environment.
The duo are set to receive new names following the results of a public competition.


Pork knuckles, red eggs party: Hong Kong giant panda cubs turn 100 days old

Panda Watch: how can Hong Kong cash in on panda economy as cubs reach milestone?

Panda Watch: Hong Kong’s twin cubs ready for 100-day milestone, with festivities planned

Panda Watch: Hong Kong cubs near 3-month mark, entering exciting and playful phase

Hong Kong’s pandas

Crowds flock to Ocean Park to celebrate Hong Kong’s giant panda cubs turning 100 days old. Photo: Dickson Lee

Visitors receive complimentary red eggs and pork knuckles with ginger on Saturday. Photo: Dickson Lee

Hong Kong authorities hope to turn the cubs into tourism ambassadors. Photo: Handout

Giant Panda Le Le will be back in public  view on Saturday for the first time since August. Photo: May Tse

Hong Kong is hoping to get a panda economy running. Photo: Jelly Tse

He Ye and He Hua have captured the hears of visitors. Photo: Facebook/ Panda HeHua & HeYe

Panda fans wait for Fu Bao at South Korea’s Everland amusement park. Photo: AFP

Hong Kong’s Ocean Park to celebrate panda cubs’ 100th day with red eggs, ginger pork knuckles

Ocean Park is celebrating the 100th day milestone of its home-grown panda cubs. Photo: Handout

Ocean Park will serve red eggs and ginger pork knuckles in designated areas of the park to mark the cubs’ first 100 days. Photo: Ocean Park

News

Hong Kong

Society

Giant panda Le Le also makes first public appearance in two months as park reopens special enclosure for bears


Giant panda Le Le also makes first public appearance in two months as park reopens special enclosure for bears.


Ocean Park

Pandas

Hong Kong society

Hong Kong tourism