Bing Bing
冰冰
27 years old
chengdu_base
Bing Bing (冰冰, studbook #559) is a female giant panda born September 21, 1999 at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Pand...
View profile TIA
Panda archive
Tian Tian (#458)
添添
alive male
Born August 27, 1997
Tian Tian is a male giant panda born on August 27, 1997 at the China Conservation and Research Center. He and Mei Xiang moved to the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C. in 2000 as part of a cooperative breeding program. Over 23 years, he fathered four surviving cubs: Tai Shan, Bao Bao, Bei Bei, and Xiao Qi Ji. He returned to China on November 9, 2023.
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This page brings together the core facts, timeline, family graph, media, place journey, and related reading for Tian Tian.
Profile snapshot
Quick facts
Birth date
August 27, 1997
Birth place
China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda
Current location
China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda
Status
Alive
Studbook
#458Archive activity
5 updates · 0 media
Narrative
Life story
Start with a concise summary, then continue into the full narrative record for Tian Tian.
Short version
Tian Tian is a male giant panda born on August 27, 1997 at the China Conservation and Research Center. He and Mei Xiang moved to the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C. in 2000 as part of a cooperative breeding program. Over 23 years, he fathered four surviving cubs: Tai Shan, Bao Bao, Bei Bei, and Xiao Qi Ji. He returned to China on November 9, 2023.
Basic Profile
Tian Tian (Chinese: 添添, studbook number 458) is a male giant panda born on August 27, 1997 at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP) Hetaoping Base. His mother is Yong Ba (studbook 397), a wild-born female, and his father is Pan Pan (studbook 354), one of the most prolific breeding males in the captive panda population. Tian Tian spent 23 years at the Smithsonian National Zoo as a key participant in the Sino-US cooperative research program.
Family
Tian Tian’s father is Pan Pan (studbook 354) and his mother is Yong Ba (studbook 397).
Tian Tian has four surviving offspring with Mei Xiang (studbook 473):
- Tai Shan (泰山, studbook 585), male, born July 9, 2005.
- Bao Bao (宝宝, studbook 909), female, born August 23, 2013.
- Bei Bei (贝贝, studbook 1080), male, born August 22, 2015.
- Xiao Qi Ji (小奇迹, studbook 1318), male, born August 21, 2020.
Life Journey
Early Life in China
Tian Tian was born at the Hetaoping Base of CCRCGP in Sichuan Province. He was selected alongside Mei Xiang for the Sino-US cooperative breeding program.
Move to the United States
On December 6, 2000, Tian Tian and Mei Xiang arrived at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C. Tian Tian formally met the American public on January 10, 2001. The pair lived under a series of cooperative agreements that were renewed in 2010, 2015, and 2020.
Breeding Success
Tian Tian fathered his first cub Tai Shan in 2005 through natural mating. He subsequently fathered Bao Bao (2013), Bei Bei (2015), and Xiao Qi Ji (2020), the latter using frozen semen collected in 2016.
Return to China
On November 9, 2023, Tian Tian, Mei Xiang, and Xiao Qi Ji returned to China. After arrival at Chengdu, the family was transported to the CCRCGP Wolong Shenshuping Base for quarantine. Tian Tian now resides in the senior panda facility.
Evidence
Life timeline
Key updates and milestone events tied to Tian Tian.
2023 (2)
Knowledge graph
Family and network
See the core family graph first, then continue through related pandas and archive themes.
Mother Half-siblings (grouped) Children
Tian Tian has
8 half-siblings.
The majority share the same mother, Yong Ba .
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View profileWhy these profiles appear here
1
Bing Bing
Same mother (SB 397)
2
Bing Li
Same mother (SB 397)
3
Da Shuang
Same father (SB 354)
4
Fei Fei
Same mother (SB 397)
Theme graph
Themes connected to Tian Tian
This panda is connected to 5 themes in the broader archive graph.
Lineage themes
Location themes
Program and tag themes
Gallery
Media gallery
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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.
Place journey
China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda
Current residenceDujiangyan, China
1997 to present
Breeding center
Smithsonian National Zoological Park
Tian Tian transferred to smithsonian_national_zooWashington D.C., United States
1998 to 2000
Zoo
Smithsonian National Zoological Park
Mei Xiang and Tian Tian Move to the United StatesWashington D.C., United States
2000 to 2023
Zoo
China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda
Mei Xiang Returns to ChinaDujiangyan, China
2023
Breeding center
Wolong Shenshuping Panda Base
Mei Xiang returns to ChinaWolong, China
2023 to present
Breeding center
Current location
China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda
Dujiangyan, China
Tian Tian is currently linked to China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda.
Mentioned in archive reading
kids
Panda Express: What Kind of Plane Does a Panda Fly In?
When pandas travel around the world, they don't fly in regular passenger planes — they ride on the 'Panda Express,' a special cargo jet with climate control, an onboard veterinarian, and enough bamboo for a 12-hour flight! Discover the amazing logistics of panda air travel!
culture
Bifengxia Base: The First Stop for Every Returning Overseas Panda
Nestled in the misty mountains above Ya'an, Sichuan, the Bifengxia Panda Base is the quiet epicenter of the global panda diaspora — the place every overseas-born panda first encounters when it returns to China. With its cool climate, abundant bamboo, and specialized quarantine facilities, Bifengxia has processed every major panda homecoming of the modern era, from Tai Shan in 2010 to Fu Bao in 2024.
culture
CITES and Pandas: The Global Consensus Against Wildlife Trade
Since 1984, the giant panda has been listed on Appendix I of CITES — the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species — which prohibits all commercial international trade in pandas and their products. This article explains how CITES works, what Appendix I listing means for pandas, and how the treaty shapes the international panda loan system.
culture
Dujiangyan: The World's Only Panda Nursing Home
Tucked into the forested foothills outside Chengdu, the Dujiangyan Giant Panda Rescue and Disease Control Center is unlike any other panda facility in the world. It is not a breeding center. It is not a tourist attraction. It is a hospital and a retirement home — the place where aging pandas, retired breeders, and returning overseas celebrities spend their final years in quiet, forested enclosures with specialized geriatric care. Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, Bai Yun, and Pan Pan all ended their journeys here. This is the story of the world's only panda nursing home.
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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.
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