Ying Ying

Basic Profile

Ying Ying (Chinese: 迎迎), studbook number 165, was a female giant panda born in the wild of Baoxing County, Sichuan Province on approximately June 7, 1975. She was rescued by wildlife workers Zheng Zhenquan and Yan Zhenhe, transferred to Beijing Zoo, and selected for a historic mission.

The Mexico Dynasty

In 1975, following the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Mexico, the Chinese government selected Ying Ying and male panda Bei Bei (贝贝) as a gift to the Mexican people. They arrived at Chapultepec Zoo in Mexico City on September 10, 1975.

Together, they founded the only overseas panda dynasty created through China’s gifting program — a lineage that continues to this day.

Offspring

Ying Ying and Bei Bei produced 5 litters with 7 cubs, of which 4 survived:

Name	Studbook	Birth	Notes
(unnamed)	—	1980	Died shortly after birth
Duo Wei (朵蔚/TOHUI)	234	1981-07-21	First panda cub born outside China to survive
Liang Liang (亮亮)	—	1983	Female
Xiu Hua (秀华)	291	1985-06-25	Twin survivor
(twin)	—	1985	Did not survive
Shuan Shuan (双双)	332	1987-06-15	Twin survivor
(twin)	—	1987	Did not survive

Duo Wei: A Historic Birth

On July 21, 1981, Ying Ying gave birth to Duo Wei (朵蔚) — the first giant panda cub born outside of China to survive in captivity. The birth was celebrated across Mexico. A nationwide naming contest was held, and the winning name — “TOHUI” (朵蔚) — was submitted by a 4-and-a-half-year-old Indigenous Mexican boy.

Duo Wei would later become the mother of Xin Xin (欣欣, studbook 360) — the last surviving panda in Mexico and all of Latin America, still living at Chapultepec Zoo as of 2026.

Death and Legacy

Ying Ying died on January 29, 1989 at Chapultepec Zoo. She and Bei Bei are memorialized with a monument at the zoo, recognizing them as the founders of Mexico’s panda lineage — the only surviving overseas bloodline from China’s gifting era.