Tang Tang

Basic Profile

Tang Tang (Chinese: 唐唐, also known as “No. 21” / 21号), studbook number 446, was a wild-born female giant panda. She was discovered in 1994 in Pingwu County, Sichuan Province, and moved to the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas (CCRCGP) in 1997.

She became one of the most important matriarchs in the captive panda population. Her children and their descendants form a sprawling family tree that now spans five generations.

Offspring

Name	Studbook	Gender	Birth	Notable
Gong Zhu (公主)	477	Female	1998	Mother of 13 cubs
Ye Ye (晔晔)	495	Female	1999-09-25	Mother of 10
Gu Gu (古古)	496	Male	1999-09-25	At Beijing Zoo
Long Hui (龙徽)	526	Male	2000-09-26	Vienna, 5 cubs
Lin Yang (林阳)	538	Male	2001-09-28
Lin Hui (林惠)	539	Female	2001-09-28	Thailand, died 2023
Ju Xiao (菊笑)	557	Female	2002-09-28	Mother of 5

Life Journey

Tang Tang lived at the CCRCGP Hetaoping Base until 2004, then moved to the Ya’an Bifengxia Base. In 2006, she was a candidate for the pair of pandas to be gifted to Taiwan (a distinction that eventually went to Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan).

On January 26, 2008, she was sent to Changzhou Dinosaur Park for exhibition. On April 9, 2009, she was transferred to Xiamen Haicang Wildlife Park.

Death

In 2010, Tang Tang’s health declined. She was approximately 23 years old — very elderly for a giant panda. On August 21, her urine tests showed elevated white blood cells, blood, and protein. She received emergency treatment. On the morning of August 22, her condition deteriorated sharply — she stopped eating, began breathing rapidly, and went into shock. Despite oxygen therapy, cardiac resuscitation, and a rushed arrival of CCRCGP veterinarians, she died at 12:10 PM from kidney failure and multi-organ failure due to old age.