Xiao Qi Ji

Xiao Qi Ji (Chinese name 小奇迹) is a male giant panda with the studbook number 1235, born on August 21, 2020, at the Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C. His mother is Mei Xiang and father is Tian Tian, two giant pandas placed at the U.S. zoo as part of a long-term cooperative loan agreement between China and the Smithsonian Institution at the time of his birth. His birth came during the height of the global COVID-19 pandemic, a period when widespread lockdowns left many people seeking accessible, uplifting virtual content, and the Smithsonian’s public panda cam broadcasts of his first weeks of life drew millions of views from across the world.

On August 21, 2021, his first birthday, Xiao Qi Ji was transferred to the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Wolong, Sichuan Province, China, in line with standard giant panda loan agreement terms that require offspring of loaned pandas to be repatriated to China once they reach weaning age. As of 2025, he remains based at the Wolong facility, where he participates in the center’s formal captive breeding and wild habitat acclimation programs designed to support the long-term resilience of the vulnerable giant panda species. Care staff at the center have documented that he displays species-typical foraging patterns, devoting most of his daily active period to consuming varieties of bamboo native to the Sichuan region.

Xiao Qi Ji’s public profile has contributed to measurable increases in global public interest in giant panda conservation, with survey data from both the Smithsonian Institution and the China Conservation and Research Center linking his widespread early media visibility to rising public support for habitat protection initiatives in giant panda range areas. His life trajectory also serves as a documented case study of the success of bilateral giant panda conservation cooperation, demonstrating how cross-institutional partnerships can support both species breeding goals and global public engagement efforts for vulnerable wildlife.