Cheng Jiu

Cheng Jiu (Chinese name: 成就, studbook number 929) is a male giant panda born on July 18, 2014 at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. His birth was registered in both national and international giant panda population tracking systems, which form the core of global coordinated conservation efforts for the species. He is the offspring of male panda Xi Bang (studbook number 743) and female panda Zhu Lin (studbook number 767), both captive-bred individuals housed at the Chengdu Research Base, and his lineage is formally incorporated into the national captive breeding program overseen by the China Giant Panda Conservation and Research Center to maintain genetic diversity among the managed panda population.

On his first birthday, July 18, 2015, Cheng Jiu was transferred to Hangzhou Zoo, where he has resided permanently in the years since. The transfer was part of a structured national species outreach plan designed to distribute captive giant pandas across qualified regional institutions, expanding public access to the species outside of core breeding facilities in Sichuan province. At Hangzhou Zoo, he is cared for by a dedicated team of wildlife veterinarians and husbandry staff, who conduct daily health monitoring, provide species-appropriate enrichment, and manage his diet of fresh bamboo sourced from regional sustainable cultivation sites.

Cheng Jiu is a core component of Hangzhou Zoo’s giant panda public education programming, which teaches visitors about the ecological needs of giant pandas, the history of conservation interventions for the species, and broader threats to biodiversity in China’s forest ecosystems. His high public profile as a popular visitor attraction supports ongoing outreach highlighting the success of multi-decade conservation efforts that led to the giant panda’s reclassification from Endangered to Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List in 2016. As a healthy adult male in the managed captive population, his care and monitoring also contribute to long-term research into panda physiology, behavior, and optimal captive welfare practices that inform conservation policy across the species’ range.