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Panda archive

Ming Hin

明浜

alive male Born December 23, 2006

Ming Hin (明浜, studbook #662) is a male giant panda born December 23, 2006 at Adventure World, Japan — twin of Ai Hin and the last cub of Eimei and Mei Mei. He and his sister were a unique case of winter birth from autumn mating. After returning to China in 2012, he has lived at Liuzhou Zoo since 2013, becoming a beloved local icon with devoted Japanese fans who visit annually for his birthday.

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

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Profile snapshot

Quick facts

Birth date

December 23, 2006

Birth place

Adventure World

Current location

Unknown

Status

Alive

Studbook

#662

Archive activity

3 updates · 0 media

Narrative

Life story

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

Short version

Basic Profile

Ming Hin (Chinese: 明浜, studbook number 662) is a male giant panda born on December 23, 2006 at Adventure World in Shirahama, Wakayama, Japan. He and his twin sister Ai Hin (爱浜) were the last cubs of Eimei (永明, studbook 390) and Mei Mei (梅梅, studbook 408).

Winter Birth

The twins’ birth was extraordinary: conceived through autumn mating and born in winter — the only successful winter birth from autumn mating in captive panda history. Ming Hin weighed just 84 grams at birth with a body temperature of only 33.2°C, requiring intensive care in an incubator.

Naming

On February 9, 2007, his name was chosen from 7,168 public submissions. “明浜” means “bright future,” symbolizing the wish for him to grow healthily and illuminate the family’s future.

Life Journey

Loss of Mother (2008)

On October 15, 2008, Mei Mei died from acute intestinal obstruction. Ming Hin and Ai Hin were not yet two — keepers devoted extra care to the orphaned twins.

Return to China (2012)

On December 14, 2012, the twins returned to China, settling at the Chengdu Research Base. They debuted to the public on February 26, 2013.

Liuzhou Zoo (2013–present)

On March 28, 2013, Ming Hin was transferred to Liuzhou Zoo in Guangxi alongside Shu Lin (蜀琳). He has remained there ever since, with multiple contract renewals.

In January 2024, he moved into a newly built panda house — 1,500 m² with air conditioning, soundproof glass, climbing structures, and pools.

Personality

Ming Hin is quiet, calm, and steady (沉稳). He weighs about 110 kg with a longer face than his sister. He consumes roughly 60 kg of bamboo daily.

Cultural Impact

Ming Hin has devoted Japanese fans who visit Liuzhou annually for his December 23 birthday. He and Shu Lin are considered Liuzhou’s “treasures of the zoo” (镇园之宝). He is the offspring of father Eimei (also known as Yongming, studbook 384) and mother Meimei (studbook 480), both captive-bred pandas originally from Sichuan, China, who resided at Adventure World as part of a long-term Sino-Japanese giant panda research partnership. Meihin spent the first year of his life at the Japanese facility, where he was monitored closely by zookeepers and conservation researchers to track early developmental milestones for the endangered species.

In December 2007, on his first birthday, Meihin was transferred to the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Wolong, Sichuan, his species’ native range, as part of the international collaborative agreement governing giant panda loans and captive breeding exchanges. Since his repatriation, he has been an active participant in the center’s captive breeding program, which is dedicated to preserving and expanding genetic diversity across the global captive giant panda population. His genetic lineage, derived from two pandas originally from separate Sichuan breeding lines that were housed outside of China for multiple years, brings valuable genetic variation to the center’s breeding pool, reducing the risk of inbreeding in captive populations.

Meihin’s cross-border birth and repatriation have made him a notable example of successful international collaboration for giant panda conservation, drawing consistent public interest to the shared global efforts to protect the species. He exhibits typical wild-derived foraging behaviors, consuming roughly 15 kilograms of bamboo each day, and regular observations of his feeding, activity, and social interaction patterns provide researchers with consistent data to compare panda behavior across individuals born in and outside of their native range. As of 2024, he remains a permanent resident of the Wolong center, contributing to both research and public outreach initiatives focused on giant panda conservation.

Evidence

Life timeline

Key updates and milestone events tied to Ming Hin.

3 updates

2013 (1)

Transfer Mar 28, 2013

Ming Hin Moves to Liuzhou Zoo

Ming Hin was transferred to Liuzhou Zoo in Guangxi alongside Shu Lin, where he has become a beloved local icon with devoted Japanese fans.

2012 (1)

Transfer Dec 14, 2012

Ming Hin Returns to China

Ming Hin returned to China alongside his twin sister Ai Hin, settling at the Chengdu Research Base after six years at Adventure World.

2006 (1)

Birth Dec 23, 2006

Birth of Ming Hin

Ming Hin (明浜) was born at Adventure World as the smaller twin at 84g, the last cub of Eimei and Mei Mei, in a historic winter birth from autumn mating.

Knowledge graph

Family and network

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

Father Mother Full siblings Half-siblings (grouped)

Full siblings 5 same father & mother

Ai Hin #663 Kou Hin #598 Ryu Hin #573 Shuhin #574 Yu Hin #540

Fu Hu #753 Fuhin #1138 Kai Hin #782 Mei Hin #737 Saihin #1154 Sakura Hin #944 Tou Hin #945 Xing Guang #1243 Yong Hin #738 You Hin #776 You Hin #783 You Hin #832 Yui Hin #1047

Qi Yuan #491 Qi Zhen #490 Rau Hin #515

Ming Hin has 5 full siblings and 16 half-siblings. The majority share the same father, Ei Mei , indicating a highly prolific paternal lineage.

Related profiles

Other pandas connected to Ming Hin

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

44 recommendations

Ai Hin

爱浜

Alive

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...

Ming Hin

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

Quick facts

Life story

Basic Profile

Winter Birth

Naming

Life Journey

Loss of Mother (2008)

Return to China (2012)

Liuzhou Zoo (2013–present)

Personality

Cultural Impact

Life timeline

Ming Hin Moves to Liuzhou Zoo

Ming Hin Returns to China

Birth of Ming Hin

Family and network

Other pandas connected to Ming Hin

Ai Hin

Ei Mei

Fu Hu

Fuhin

Kai Hin

Kou Hin

Mei Hin

Mei Mei

Qi Yuan

Qi Zhen

Rau Hin

Ryu Hin

Saihin

Sakura Hin

Shuhin

Tou Hin

Xing Guang

Yong Hin

You Hin

You Hin

You Hin

Yu Hin

Yui Hin

Cui Cui

Da Jiao

Fu Ni

Kang Kang

Lang Lang

Liang Liang

Mei An

Mei Lan

Mei Qian

Meng Meng

Qian Qian

Shan Shan

Si Jia

Si Xue

Si Xue

Wu Yi

Xi Dou

Xing Xing

Yi Bao

You You

Yuan Xiao

Why these profiles appear here

Themes connected to Ming Hin

Lineage themes

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Place journey

Adventure World

Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding

Current location

Archive paths

Mentioned in archive reading

Japan's Panda Era: 54 Years of Ueno, Adventure World, and Kobe's Giant Pandas

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