HUA

Panda archive

Hua Mei

华美

alive female Born August 21, 1999

Hua Mei (华美) is a female giant panda born August 21, 1999 at the San Diego Zoo, the first giant panda born in the United States to survive to adulthood. She made history as the first overseas-born panda to return to China in 2004. A prolific mother, she has given birth to 13 cubs including Tuan Tuan (团团, sent to Taiwan in 2008) and Hao Hao (好好, now in Belgium). Her name means "Splendid China" and was chosen by Ambassador Li Zhaoxing.

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This page brings together the core facts, timeline, family graph, media, place journey, and related reading for Hua Mei.

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Profile snapshot

Quick facts

Birth date

August 21, 1999

Birth place

San Diego Zoo

Current location

China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda

Status

Alive

Studbook

#487

Archive activity

2 updates · 0 media

Narrative

Life story

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Short version

Basic Profile

Hua Mei (Chinese name: 华美, studbook number 487) is a female giant panda born on August 21, 1999 at the San Diego Zoo in San Diego, California, USA. She is the first giant panda born in the Western Hemisphere since 1990 and the first to survive to adulthood in the United States. Her parents are Shi Shi (石石, studbook 381) and Bai Yun (白云, studbook 371), both on loan from China as part of a Sino-US cooperative research program.

Historic Birth

Hua Mei’s birth was achieved through artificial insemination. Zoo staff were uncertain whether Bai Yun was pregnant until a camera installed at the den entrance captured the birth. The cub’s first vocalization alerted keepers to her arrival. Within days, Hua Mei became an international sensation — her dedicated website drew 4.5 million visits from 40 countries, and 40 volunteers rotated shifts to monitor the mother-daughter pair around the clock.

Naming

On December 1, 1999, Hua Mei’s 100th day, then-Chinese Ambassador to the United States Li Zhaoxing (李肇星) named her “Hua Mei” (华美), meaning “Splendid China” — a name symbolizing the friendship between China and the United States.

Return to China

On March 13, 2004, Hua Mei returned to China, becoming the first overseas-born giant panda to be repatriated. She was housed at the China Conservation and Research Center’s Wolong base. A dedicated quarantine facility was built for her in a remote valley, complete with a 10-square-meter indoor enclosure and a 100-square-meter outdoor playground.

Breeding and Offspring

Hua Mei is one of the most prolific pandas in the global breeding program. Her offspring include:

2004: Twin sons Tuan Tuan (团团, studbook 588) and Mei Ling (美灵, studbook 589) — Tuan Tuan was sent to Taipei Zoo in 2008
2005: Twin son and daughter Ting Ting (婷婷, studbook 618) and Wei Wei (伟伟, studbook 619)
2007: Twin sons Hua Long (华龙, studbook 668) and Hua Ao (华奥, studbook 669)
2009: Daughter Hao Hao (好好, studbook 741) — now at Pairi Daiza in Belgium
2010: Son Yang Hu (阳虎, studbook 798) — died in 2012
2012: Daughter Jia Jia (嘉嘉, studbook 846)
2013: Son Hua Rong (华荣, studbook 874)
2018: Twins Yi Yi (壹壹, studbook 1133) and Jiu Jiu (玖玖, studbook 1134)
2019: Twins Meng Meng (盟盟, studbook 1225) and Jin Du Du (金嘟嘟, studbook 1226)

Later Years

In 2008, Hua Mei was evacuated from Wolong to the Ya’an Bifengxia Base following the Wenchuan earthquake. She was later moved to the Dujiangyan Base in November 2023. Her legacy as a reproductive success story and a symbol of international conservation cooperation remains unparalleled.

Evidence

Life timeline

Key updates and milestone events tied to Hua Mei.

2 updates

2004 (1)

Transfer Mar 13, 2004

Hua Mei returns to China

Hua Mei became the first overseas-born giant panda to return to China, arriving at the Wolong base.

1999 (1)

Birth Aug 21, 1999

Birth of Hua Mei

Hua Mei was born at san_diego_zoo.

Knowledge graph

Family and network

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Father Mother Half-siblings (grouped) Children

Gong Zhu #477 Long Hui #526 Mei Sheng #563 Su Lin #603 Su Lin #596 Xiao Liwu #851 Yun Zi #749 Zhen Zhen #694 Zhen Zhen #696

Hua Mei has 9 half-siblings. The majority share the same mother, Bai Yun .

Showing all 14 known offspring

Related profiles

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These profiles are linked through place, lineage, and broader archive context.

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Bai Yun

白云

Alive

35 years old

dujiangyan_base

Bai Yun (白云, "White Cloud"), studbook #371, is a female giant panda born September 7, 1991 at Wolong Hetaoping Base. She...

Hua Mei

Start with the profile, then expand into the archive around this panda

Quick facts

Life story

Basic Profile

Historic Birth

Naming

Return to China

Breeding and Offspring

Later Years

Life timeline

Hua Mei returns to China

Birth of Hua Mei

Family and network

Other pandas connected to Hua Mei

Bai Yun

Gong Zhu

Hao Hao

Hua Ao

Hua Long

Hua Rong

Jia Jia

Jin Du Du

Jiu Jiu

Long Hui

Mei Ling

Mei Sheng

Meng Meng

Shi Shi

Su Lin

Su Lin

Ting Ting

Tuan Tuan

Wei Wei

Xiao Liwu

Yang Hu

Yi Yi

Yun Zi

Zhen Zhen

Zhen Zhen

An An

Bing Bing

Bing Li

Gu Gu

Gu Gu

Jia Yuan

Lu Lu

Mao Mao

Peng Peng

Qi Yuan

Qi Zhen

Shu Qing

Ye Ye

Yuan Yuan

Why these profiles appear here

Themes connected to Hua Mei

Lineage themes

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Media gallery

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Place journey

San Diego Zoo

China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda

Current location

Archive paths

Mentioned in archive reading

Pan Pan's Dynasty: The Hero Father Behind 25% of All Captive Pandas

San Diego's Frozen Zoo: Preserving Panda Genes for the Future

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