Panda archive

Xi Lan

喜兰

alive male Born August 30, 2008

Xi Lan (喜兰, meaning "Atlanta's joy"), studbook #731, is a male giant panda born on August 30, 2008 at Zoo Atlanta, weighing 180 grams. Second offspring of Lun Lun and Yang Yang, he returned to China on May 15, 2014 together with his sister A Bao, and now lives at the Chengdu Research Base. In 2017 he fathered twins Ni Ke and Ni Na with Ni Ni (#725).

Jump to timeline View media

Share this profile X Facebook

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 Xi Lan.

Profile Timeline Family network Media Connected archive

Profile snapshot

Quick facts

Birth date

August 30, 2008

Birth place

Zoo Atlanta

Current location

Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding

Status

Alive

Studbook

#731

Archive activity

2 updates · 0 media

Narrative

Life story

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

Short version

⚠️ Number correction (2026-09): This page was long carried on this site as studbook #806, and the A Bao page once listed him as #673 — #673 actually belongs to the late Jin Yi (锦意). Per the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Foundation, Sina Public Welfare, 360 Baike and Sohu (all consistent), Xi Lan is #731. Note that #731 was previously squatted on this site by a template stub (“Zhu Hai”), now removed.

Basic Profile

Xi Lan (Chinese name: 喜兰, studbook number 731) is a male giant panda born on August 30, 2008 at Zoo Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, weighing 180 grams at birth. He is the second cub and second offspring of Lun Lun (伦伦, studbook 452) and Yang Yang (洋洋, studbook 461). Xi Lan was the only giant panda cub born in the United States during the calendar year 2008.

Naming Ceremony

Following the tradition established with his elder brother Mei Lan, Zoo Atlanta invited the public to vote on Xi Lan’s name. Twelve names were selected as finalists, including Xiao Laoxiong (“little buddy”), Hua Sheng (“peanut”), and Wei Sheng (“greatness is born”). On December 8, 2008, at his 100-day naming ceremony, the winning name Xi Lan (喜兰), submitted by the Zoo Atlanta Board of Directors, was unveiled. The name means “Atlanta’s joy” — combining “Xi” (喜, meaning joy or happiness) with “Lan” (兰, short for Atlanta).

Life at Zoo Atlanta

Xi Lan made his public debut on December 30, 2008, delighting visitors to Zoo Atlanta’s panda exhibit. He grew up under the attentive care of his mother Lun Lun, known for her strong maternal instincts.

Return to China

On May 15, 2014, Xi Lan flew back to China together with his younger sister A Bao (阿宝/宝兰, #801), following the same path as his elder brother Mei Lan before him. Upon arrival, he was transferred to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding (成都大熊猫繁育研究基地) in Sichuan Province.

Family

Xi Lan comes from a prominent giant panda family. His siblings include:

Mei Lan (美兰, sb649) — elder brother, born 2006
A Bao / Po (阿宝/宝兰, #801) — younger sister, born 2010 (initially mistaken for male and named after the Kung Fu Panda character)
Mei Lun (美轮, sb807) and Mei Huan (美奂, sb773) — younger twin sisters, born 2013
Ya Lun (雅伦) and Xi Lun (喜伦) — younger twin sisters, born 2016

Both of Xi Lan’s parents, Lun Lun and Yang Yang, resided at Zoo Atlanta from 1999 until their return to China in October 2024, having produced seven offspring during their 25-year stay.

Offspring

In 2017, Xi Lan mated with Ni Ni (妮妮, studbook #725) at the Chengdu Research Base. The pair produced twins:

Ni Ke (妮可) and Ni Na (妮娜) — born 2017

Current Home

Xi Lan resides at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, in the Xing Han Pavilion (星汉馆).

Evidence

Life timeline

Key updates and milestone events tied to Xi Lan.

2 updates

2014 (1)

Transfer May 20, 2014

Xi Lan transferred to chengdu_base

Xi Lan returned to China and moved to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.

2008 (1)

Birth Aug 30, 2008

Lun Lun Gives Birth to Xi Lan

Lun Lun gave birth to Xi Lan, her second cub, at Zoo Atlanta.

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

Bao Lan Mei Lan #649 Mei Lun #807 Po Shan Shan #702

Er Xi #792

Ya Lun Ya Lun #1089

Xi Lan has 5 full siblings and 3 half-siblings. The majority share the same mother, Lun Lun .

Related profiles

Other pandas connected to Xi Lan

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

31 recommendations

Bao Lan

宝兰

Alive

16 years old

china_conservation_and_research_center

Bao Lan is a female giant panda born on 2010-07-15 at Atlanta Zoo. She is the offspring of Yang Yang and Lun Lun. Curr...

Xi Lan

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

Quick facts

Life story

Basic Profile

Naming Ceremony

Life at Zoo Atlanta

Return to China

Family

Offspring

Current Home

Life timeline

Xi Lan transferred to chengdu_base

Lun Lun Gives Birth to Xi Lan

Family and network

Other pandas connected to Xi Lan

Bao Lan

Er Xi

Lun Lun

Mei Lan

Mei Lun

Po

Shan Shan

Ya Lun

Ya Lun

Yang Yang

A Bao

Mei Huan

A Ling

Da Mao

Gong Zai

Hao Hao

Huan Huan

Jia Jia

Kai Kai

Le Le

Mei Hin

Mu Xue

Ni Ni

Ning Ning

Ping Ping

Shu Yun

Ya Lin

Ying Ying

Yong Hin

You You

Yuan Zi

Why these profiles appear here

Media gallery

No media available

Follow this profile into places, articles, and related pandas

Place journey

Zoo Atlanta

Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding

Current location

Archive paths

Mentioned in archive reading

Ping Ping and Fu Shuang: The 2026 Return of Giant Pandas to Atlanta

Pandas Born in America: Meet the ABC Panda Cubs

More connections

Same place

A Bao

A Bao

A Bao

Same country

A Bao

A Bao

A Bao

Trending pandas

Bing Xing

Cheng Hehua

Sources and references

Primary source types

External links

Continue through the panda archive