Giant panda cubs Jia Jia and De De play with their mother, Ying Ying. (Photo: CMG)
Jia Jia and De De, the first giant pandas born in Hong Kong, celebrated their second birthday on Saturday in front of devoted fans at their home at Ocean Park 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 (HKSAR).
Hong Kong's first locally born giant panda cub, Jia Jia, sits on her birthday cake at the enclosure in Ocean Park on her first birthday in the HKSAR, August 15, 2025. (Photo: VCG)
The two bears, born as pink cubs weighing as little as 100 grams, now weigh about 60 kilograms each. At the birthday party on Saturday, they munched on a cake made from frozen carrots and some fresh bamboo in the loving company of their mother, Ying Ying.
The second birthday is very likely to be the last one the twins spend with their mother, because they will soon be old enough to live independently.
Giant pandas at Ocean Park Hong Kong, June 30, 2026. (Photo: VCG)
City-wide birthday celebrations began earlier this month. Images of giant pandas adorned popular tourist sites like Causeway Bay, while panda-themed buses and trams traveled across Hong Kong.
Ocean Park Hong Kong rolls out four panda-themed trams for twins Jia Jia and De De's 2nd birthday, Hong Kong, China, August 4, 2026. (Photo: VCG)