Birth of panda twins brings double joy

Vital breeding base

The rebuilt Shenshuping Base is the world's largest giant panda breeding, rearing, and research base.

It is also the only training center in the world for the reintroduction of pandas into the wild.

The base covers an area of about 150 hectares, and has 30 panda habitats, a panda hospital, labs and a science education center. Hong Kong committed just over 226 million yuan ($31.28 million) to the project.

In recognition of Hong Kong's contribution, when the two bases reopened in May 2016, they announced that all of the city's residents could enter free of charge with their ID cards.

However, He, who witnessed the entire reconstruction process, said the support from Hong Kong was more than just material. Hong Kong contributors also helped locals repair their mental state, by organizing community meetings and exchanges.

This played a role in promoting the economic recovery of the region and also advanced the sustainable development of Wolong district, he added.

Hong Kong's Ocean Park had a significant role in the reconstruction of Wolong. The theme park's conservation arm, The Ocean Park Conservation Foundation, established the Giant Panda Base Rebuilding Fund, which offered financial support for recovery work at 12 panda reserves in Sichuan.

Paulo Pong Kin-yee, chairman of the Ocean Park Corporation, said in a recent interview with China Daily, that the birth of Ying Ying's twin cubs was further testament to the collaboration between teams in Sichuan and Hong Kong.

When Ying Ying began showing signs she was ready to give birth in late July, the giant panda center in Sichuan promptly arranged for breeding expert Dong Li and cub-rearing expert Zhang Yahui to travel to Hong Kong.

With the support of the park's animal care team and the center's experts, Ying Ying gave birth to the panda cubs on Aug 15, after a difficult five-hour labor.

Pong said that the park has always maintained a close partnership with Sichuan on panda breeding and conservation. Experts from the giant panda center visited Hong Kong around March each year, during the giant panda mating season — to check on Ying Ying's condition and share panda breeding knowledge with the park's caretakers.