Cheng Jiu

Basic Profile

Cheng Jiu (Chinese: 成就, studbook number 917) is a male giant panda born on July 18, 2014 at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, weighing 212 grams at birth.

His mother is Cheng Ji (成绩) — this was her 9th cub, which inspired his name “成就” (accomplishment, homophone for “九” = nine). His siblings include Ji You (绩优), Ji Li (绩丽), Cheng Da (成大), Cheng Xiao (成小), Cheng Shuang (成双), Cheng Dui (成对), and Cheng Shi (成实).

”Little Grey”

As a cub, Cheng Jiu had unusually light-colored fur — looking distinctly grey compared to his black-and-white peers. Fans nicknamed him “Little Grey” (小灰灰), a reference to the grey wolf cub from the animated series Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf.

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Life at Hangzhou Zoo

On September 20, 2016, Cheng Jiu and Shuang Hao (双好) were transferred to Hangzhou Zoo for exhibition.

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The 2018 Medical Crisis

In February 2018, Cheng Jiu developed a life-threatening condition that had no precedent in panda medicine.

Timeline

• Feb 24: Loss of appetite and lethargy noticed
• Feb 25: Passed jelly-like mucus, no improvement
• Feb 27: Chengdu Base experts arrived for consultation
• Mar 2: Diagnosis confirmed — acute gastric dilation with massive food impaction (急性胃扩张伴胃积食潴留), a condition never before reported in giant pandas
• Mar 2: Emergency gastrotomy (stomach incision surgery) performed at邵逸夫 Hospital, lasting 4 hours

Post-Surgery Complications

The 7-day post-surgery禁食 period required full intravenous nutrition under general anesthesia. Complications were severe:

• 3 instances of gastric acid reflux in the first 48 hours
• Peritonitis (腹膜炎)
• Electrolyte imbalance
• Severe anemia
• Duodenogastric reflux

The panda was in critical condition multiple times. The combined Chengdu-Hangzhou medical team worked 61 days straight to save him.

Recovery Milestone

On March 24, 2018, Cheng Jiu ate bamboo leaves for the first time after surgery, and bamboo residue was detected in his feces — a triumphant moment for the care team. He was notoriously picky about bamboo, accepting only specific varieties like浙东四季竹 and慧竹, requiring daily targeted foraging trips by staff.

By April 25, he had stabilized and began rehabilitation training.

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Return to Chengdu

In November 2019, Cheng Jiu returned to Sichuan, moving to the Dujiangyan Panda Valley. As of 2023, he continues to reside at the Chengdu Base, his case now a landmark in panda veterinary medicine.