Ai Hin
爱浜
19 years old
chengdu_base
Ai Hin (爱浜, studbook #663) is a female giant panda born on December 23, 2006 at Adventure World, Japan — the only docume...
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Panda archive
Ei Mei
永明
deceased male
Born September 14, 1992
Ei Mei (Yong Ming) was a male giant panda born on September 14, 1992 at Beijing Zoo. He moved to Japan's Adventure World in 1994 and fathered 16 cubs, creating the largest overseas panda family — the "Ham Family." He was the world's oldest naturally breeding male panda and served as a中日友好特使 (China-Japan Friendship Envoy). He returned to China in 2023 and passed away on January 25, 2025 at age 32.
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Profile snapshot
Quick facts
Birth date
September 14, 1992
Birth place
Beijing Zoo
Current location
Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding
Status
Deceased
Studbook
#390Archive activity
6 updates · 0 media
Narrative
Life story
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Short version
Ei Mei (Yong Ming) was a male giant panda born on September 14, 1992 at Beijing Zoo. He moved to Japan's Adventure World in 1994 and fathered 16 cubs, creating the largest overseas panda family — the "Ham Family." He was the world's oldest naturally breeding male panda and served as a中日友好特使 (China-Japan Friendship Envoy). He returned to China in 2023 and passed away on January 25, 2025 at age 32.
Basic Profile
Ei Mei (Japanese reading of 永明; Chinese name Yong Ming) was a male giant panda born on September 14, 1992, at Beijing Zoo. His mother was Yong Yong (永永, studbook 245). He was one of the most prolific giant pandas in history, siring 16 cubs and establishing the largest overseas panda lineage known as the “Ham Family” (浜家族).
Life Journey
Early Years
Born at Beijing Zoo, Ei Mei was transferred to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in May 1994 for breeding research purposes.
Move to Japan (1994)
On September 6, 1994, as part of the world’s first long-term international giant panda cooperative breeding program, Ei Mei and female panda Rong Hin (蓉浜) traveled to Adventure World in Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. This marked the beginning of an extraordinary 29-year chapter.
Building the Ham Family
Ei Mei became known as the “Panda Father” of Japan, breeding with two females — Mei Mei (梅梅) and later Rau Hin (良浜):
With Mei Mei (梅梅):
- Yu Hin (雄浜): Male, born December 17, 2001 — the world’s first autumn-mating, winter-birth cub in captivity
- Ryu Hin (隆浜) and Syu Hin (秋浜): Twin males born September 8, 2003 — first case of a captive mother raising twins independently
- Kou Hin (幸浜): Male, born August 23, 2005 (twin sibling did not survive)
- Ai Hin (爱浜) and Mei Hin (明浜): Female-male twins born December 23, 2006 — first winter-born twin cubs
With Rau Hin (良浜):
- Mei Hin (梅浜) and Ei Hin (永浜): Female-male twins born September 13, 2008 — first second-generation pandas born overseas
- Kai Hin (海浜) and You Hin (阳浜): Male-female twins born August 11, 2010
- Yu Hin (优浜): Female born August 10, 2012
- Sakura Hin (樱浜) and Tou Hin (桃浜): Female twins born December 2, 2014
- Yui Hin (结浜): Female born September 18, 2016 — Ei Mei was 24, making him the world’s oldest naturally breeding male panda
- Sai Hin (彩浜): Female born August 14, 2018 — smallest cub at Adventure World at 75g
- Fū Hin (枫浜): Female born November 22, 2020 — his 16th and final cub
Honors and Recognition
- July 2011: Awarded the “Prefectural Order of Merit” by Wakayama Prefecture, Japan
- December 2017: Received the 10th “Japan Animal Award” Grand Prize
- December 2022: Appointed “China-Japan Friendship Envoy” by Chinese Consul General in Osaka
- Known as Japan’s oldest and most beloved male giant panda
Return to China and Death
On February 22, 2023, at age 30, Ei Mei returned to China aboard a special flight alongside his twin daughters Ying Bin and Tao Bin. He spent his final years at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.
In January 2025, Ei Mei showed reduced appetite and increased lethargy. Despite intensive veterinary care, he passed away on January 25, 2025 from multiple organ failure at the age of 32.5 — a remarkable lifespan for a giant panda.
Evidence
Life timeline
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1994 (2)
Knowledge graph
Family and network
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Children
Showing all 19 known offspring
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View profileWhy these profiles appear here
1
Ai Hin
Offspring: Ai Hin
2
Fu Hu
Offspring: Fu Hu
3
Fuhin
Offspring: Fuhin
4
Ji Ni
Same mother (SB 245)
Theme graph
Themes connected to Ei Mei
This panda is connected to 3 themes in the broader archive graph.
Program and tag themes
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Connected archive
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This is the next layer around the profile: place journey, current geography, reading context, and nearby panda records.
Place journey
Beijing Zoo
Birth placeBeijing, China
1992 to 1994
Zoo
Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding
Current residenceChengdu, China
1994 to present
Breeding center
Adventure World
Ei Mei transferred to adventure_worldShirahama, Japan
1994 to 2023
Zoo
Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding
Ei Mei Returns to China from JapanChengdu, China
2023 to present
Breeding center
Current location
Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding
Chengdu, China
Ei Mei is currently linked to Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.
Mentioned in archive reading
culture
Japan's Panda Era: 54 Years of Ueno, Adventure World, and Kobe's Giant Pandas
From the 1972 arrival of diplomatic gifts Kang Kang and Lan Lan to the January 2026 departure of Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, this guide traces every giant panda that has lived in Japan across three institutions — Ueno Zoo, Adventure World in Wakayama, and Kobe Oji Zoo — and explains why Japan, for the first time since 1972, now has none.
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The Ultimate Panda Documentary Guide: 50+ Films Every Panda Lover Needs to Watch
A curated global guide to over 50 panda documentaries spanning seven decades, seven thematic categories, and ten countries — from Pan Wenshi's raw Qinling field recordings in the 1990s to the 2024 Korean theatrical release Goodbye, Grandpa. Every film is verified, reviewed, and linked to the real pandas, keepers, and breeding centers behind the footage.
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Ruth Harkness and Su Lin: The First Panda to Reach the Western World
In 1936, American socialite Ruth Harkness traveled to China, captured a baby panda named Su Lin, and brought it to Brookfield Zoo — igniting the world's first 'panda fever.' This article tells the story of the woman, the cub, and the expedition that changed how the West saw pandas forever.
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Primary source types
- Conservation institution records
- Official panda databases
- Research publications and archive reporting
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