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...
View profile MEI
Panda archive
Mei Mei (#408)
梅梅
deceased female
Born August 31, 1994
Mei Mei was a female giant panda born on August 31, 1994 at Chengdu Base. She moved to Japan's Adventure World in 2000 and became the founder of the largest overseas panda family. She gave birth to 10 cubs, including pioneering winter births and the world's first case of a mother naturally raising twin cubs. Mei Mei died from intestinal obstruction in 2008 and was posthumously awarded Wakayama Prefecture's Meritorious Service title.
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Profile snapshot
Quick facts
Birth date
August 31, 1994
Birth place
Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding
Current location
Adventure World
Status
Deceased
Studbook
#408Archive activity
6 updates · 0 media
Narrative
Life story
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Short version
Mei Mei was a female giant panda born on August 31, 1994 at Chengdu Base. She moved to Japan's Adventure World in 2000 and became the founder of the largest overseas panda family. She gave birth to 10 cubs, including pioneering winter births and the world's first case of a mother naturally raising twin cubs. Mei Mei died from intestinal obstruction in 2008 and was posthumously awarded Wakayama Prefecture's Meritorious Service title.
Basic Profile
Mei Mei (Chinese name: 梅梅, studbook number 408) was a female giant panda born on August 31, 1994 at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. Her mother was Su Su (苏苏, studbook 282) and her father was Yue Yue (越越, studbook 308). Her twin sister was Shu Lan (蜀兰).
Life Journey
Early Breeding in China (1994-2000)
Before moving to Japan, Mei Mei gave birth to twin daughters Qi Zhen (奇珍, studbook 490) and Qi Yuan (奇缘, studbook 491) on September 4, 1999 at Chengdu Base via artificial insemination.
Transfer to Japan (2000)
On July 7, 2000, Mei Mei was transferred to Adventure World in Shirahama, Wakayama, Japan as part of the China-Japan Giant Panda International Long-term Breeding Cooperation Program. She joined male panda Yong Ming (永明), who had been in Japan since 1994.
Breeding Achievements in Japan
Mei Mei became one of the most prolific breeding giant pandas in captivity, giving birth to 11 cubs in 6 litters, 9 of which survived:
In China (Chengdu Base):
- Qi Zhen (奇珍) and Qi Yuan (奇缘): Twin females, born September 4, 1999 via artificial insemination
In Japan (Adventure World):
- Rau Hin (良浜, sb515): Female, born September 6, 2000. Father was Ha Lan (哈兰). First giant panda born in Japan through the cooperative program.
- Yu Hin (雄浜, sb540): Male, born December 17, 2001. World’s first case of a captive giant panda giving birth in winter after autumn estrus.
- Ryu Hin (隆浜, sb573) and Syu Hin (秋浜, sb574): Twin males, born September 8, 2003. Mei Mei became the first giant panda mother in the world to raise twin cubs simultaneously without human assistance.
- Kou Hin (幸浜, sb598): Male, born August 23, 2005 (twin, one cub did not survive).
- Ai Hin (爱浜, sb663) and Mei Hin (明浜, sb662): Female and male twins, born December 23, 2006. First winter-born twin cubs from an autumn mating.
Mei Mei and Yong Ming founded the largest overseas giant panda family, known as the “Bin Family” (浜家族).
Death and Legacy
In January 2008, Mei Mei suffered an intestinal obstruction and was successfully treated after 10 days of intensive care. On October 4, 2008, she showed symptoms again — loss of appetite, lethargy, and no bowel movements. Despite treatment including IV fluids, gastric tube medication, and enemas, her condition deteriorated. She died on October 15, 2008 at 4:29 AM (Japan time) at age 14.
On July 24, 2011, Mei Mei was posthumously awarded the title of “Prefectural Meritorious Service” by the Wakayama Prefectural Government for her contributions to promoting Wakayama. In 2012, Adventure World unveiled a monument featuring Yong Ming, Mei Mei, and their children.
Evidence
Life timeline
Key updates and milestone events tied to Mei Mei.
2008 (2)
Knowledge graph
Family and network
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Father Half-siblings (grouped) Children
Mei Mei has
11 half-siblings.
The majority share the same father, Pan Pan
, indicating a highly prolific paternal lineage.
Showing all 9 known offspring
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View profileWhy these profiles appear here
1
Ai Hin
Offspring: Ai Hin
2
Bai Yun
Same father (SB 308)
3
Da Di
Same father (SB 308)
4
Fei Fei
Same father (SB 308)
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Connected archive
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Place journey
Current location
Adventure World
Shirahama, Japan
Mei Mei is currently linked to Adventure World.
Mentioned in archive reading
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The Ultimate Panda Documentary Guide: 50+ Films Every Panda Lover Needs to Watch
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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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Japan's Panda Era: 54 Years of Ueno, Adventure World, and Kobe's Giant Pandas
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- Official panda databases
- Research publications and archive reporting
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