Skip to main content
LEI

Panda archive

Lei Lei

蕾蕾

alive female Born June 23, 2021

Lei Lei (蕾蕾) is a female giant panda born June 23, 2021 at Ueno Zoo, Tokyo. Twin of Xiao Xiao, her name was chosen from 192,712 public submissions. Her 2022 public debut drew 1 winner per 348 lottery applicants. She returned to China in January 2026, ending Japan's 54-year panda era. Annual economic impact: 308 billion yen.

How to use this page

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

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

Profile snapshot

Quick facts

Birth date

June 23, 2021

Birth place

Ueno Zoo

Current location

China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda

Status

Alive

Studbook

Unassigned

Archive activity

1 update · 0 media

Narrative

Life story

Start with a concise summary, then continue into the full narrative record for Lei Lei.

Short version

Lei Lei (蕾蕾) is a female giant panda born June 23, 2021 at Ueno Zoo, Tokyo. Twin of Xiao Xiao, her name was chosen from 192,712 public submissions. Her 2022 public debut drew 1 winner per 348 lottery applicants. She returned to China in January 2026, ending Japan's 54-year panda era. Annual economic impact: 308 billion yen.

Basic Profile

Lei Lei (Chinese: 蕾蕾, “Budding Flower”), is a female giant panda born on June 23, 2021 at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, Japan. Her mother is Shin Shin (真真/仙女) and her father is Bi Li (比力/力力) . Her twin brother is Xiao Xiao (晓晓) .

The twins’ names were selected from 192,712 public submissions and announced on October 8, 2021. Together, “晓晓” (dawn) and “蕾蕾” (bud) symbolize “dawn breaking,迎接美好未来.”

Ueno’s Beloved Twins

Lei Lei made her public debut on January 12, 2022, with viewing limited to a lottery system — only 1 in 348 applicants won admission. The zoo opened for just 2 hours daily, accommodating 1,080 visitors.

Return to China (2026)

On January 28, 2026, Lei Lei and Xiao Xiao arrived in Chengdu. After quarantine, they settled at the Ya’an Bifengxia Base. Their departure marked the first time Japan has been without a giant panda since 1972.

According to Kansai University Professor Miyamoto Katsuhiro, the twins generated an estimated 308 billion yen annually in economic impact for Japan.

Evidence

Life timeline

Key updates and milestone events tied to Lei Lei.

1 update

Knowledge graph

Family and network

See the core family graph first, then continue through related pandas and archive themes.

Family tree of Lei Lei Parents Self Father unknown Mother unknown Lei Lei 蕾蕾 # ♀
🌳

Family relationship data for Lei Lei is being compiled.

Connected archive

Follow this profile into places, articles, and related pandas

This is the next layer around the profile: place journey, current geography, reading context, and nearby panda records.

Current location

China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda

Dujiangyan, China

Lei Lei is currently linked to China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda.

More connections

Browse nearby, regional, and fast-moving panda profiles related to this archive entry.

Same place

An An

安安

Alive
2 years old
china_conservation_and_research_center

An An is a male giant panda born on 2024-01-01 at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda. His st...

View profile

An Bao

安宝

Alive
3 years old
china_conservation_and_research_center

An Bao (安宝), nicknamed Ka Wa Yi, is a male giant panda born on August 14, 2022 at Wolong Shenshuping Base. At 14 months ...

View profile

Ba Ba

八八

Alive
2 years old
china_conservation_and_research_center

Ba Ba is a male giant panda born on 2024-01-01 at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda. He is ...

View profile

Same country

A Bao

阿宝

Alive
15 years old
chengdu_base

A Bao is a male giant panda born on September 7, 2010 at Madrid Zoo, the first giant panda conceived through artificial ...

View profile

A Bao

阿宝

Alive
14 years old
chengdu_base

A Bao is a male giant panda born on 2011-09-04 at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. He is the offspring...

View profile

A Bao

阿宝

Alive
15 years old
chengdu_base

A Bao (also known as Bao Lan) is a female giant panda born on November 3, 2010 at Atlanta Zoo. Initially mistaken for ma...

View profile

Trending pandas

Long Sheng

龙升

Alive
25 years old
china_conservation_and_research_center

Long Sheng (龙升, also known as Mao Mao/卯卯), studbook #518, is a male giant panda born on August 21, 2000 at Wolong Hetaop...

captive-bred wolong handsome +1
View profile
Photo of Cheng Hehua

Cheng Hehua

成和花

Alive
5 years old
chengdu_base

Cheng Hehua (Hua Hua, 花花), nicknamed "Fruit Lai" (果赖) because she responds to this Sichuan dialect call, is China's top...

celebrity twin captive-bred +5
View profile

Trust

Sources and references

Information on this page is compiled from conservation institutions, official panda records, media archives, and the wider PandaCommon research workflow.

Primary source types

  • Conservation institution records
  • Official panda databases
  • Research publications and archive reporting

External links

No external reference links are attached yet.

Continue through the panda archive

Move from this profile into more pandas, place histories, and the wider library.

Explore over 848 panda profiles, place links, and archive journeys.