Two giant pandas debut after quarantine in Beijing

After a monthlong quarantine, two giant pandas named Ji Nian, or "Auspicious Year", and Fu Jiang, or "Lucky General", made their public debut at Beijing Zoo on Monday, coinciding with the Mid-Autumn Festival.

It marked their first time celebrating the festival in Beijing since their birth at a breeding center in Sichuan province, home to most of the country's pandas.

Both Ji Nian, age 6, and Fu Jiang, age 3, are male pandas born to female pandas from the Beijing Zoo and male pandas from Sichuan. They returned to the zoo on Sept 6 for quarantine.

Ji Nian, described as playful and energetic, enjoys climbing and exploring, while Fu Jiang is quieter and more composed. Interestingly, Fu Jiang is Ji Nian's uncle on the mother's side, highlighting the close family relationships among pandas, according to Lu Yanping, deputy director of Beijing Zoo.

Over the past month, zookeepers have closely monitored their health and well-being. With both pandas determined to be in excellent condition, they were introduced to the public as soon as their quarantine ended, Lu said.

As people celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival with mooncakes, the zoo prepared special versions of the traditional treat for the animals to ensure easy digestion.

Because regular mooncakes are typically high in sugar and oil, which are unsuitable for animals, the zoo made "wotou mooncakes "for the pandas. Wotou is a traditional steamed bun made mainly from cornmeal, sometimes mixed with grains such as millet or sorghum, which pandas can easily digest.

The zoo also made alfalfa mooncakes for tapirs, raccoons and alpacas; tire-shaped mooncakes for rhinos and hippos; and omnivore mooncakes for the animals at Bear Mountain.

Since their debut, the round, fluffy "national treasures" have drawn large crowds of tourists from home and abroad.

A visitor from Switzerland surnamed Michael and his 14-year-old son, Jonas, were thrilled to see the pandas. They also bought panda souvenirs at the zoo.

"I love giant pandas — they're both majestic and adorable," Jonas said. "I've only seen them in documentaries before, so it's exciting to see them up close today."

A tourist surnamed Huang from Yunnan province brought her child to the zoo specifically to see the pandas.

"My child is a big fan of Meng Lan, the famous panda here. We didn't expect to see the two new pandas, so it's a delightful surprise," she said.

The Beijing Zoo currently houses 10 giant pandas, with nine on public display and one resting behind the scenes. Visitors can follow updates on the zoo's official WeChat account.

Lu said Ji Nian and Fu Jiang are among the youngest of the zoo's 10 pandas.

"They will undergo regular health checks and receive tailored diets to help them adapt to Beijing's climate and environment over time," he said.

yangcheng@chinadaily.com.cn