ZHI

Panda archive

Zhi Chun

知春

alive female Born October 19, 2010

Zhi Chun (知春, studbook #800) is a female giant panda born October 19, 2010 at the Ya'an Bifengxia Base — the last cub born in 2010. Daughter of You You and Lu Lu, she spent three years on loan at Anyang (where the zoo's poor management sparked a public controversy), then returned to become a wild training mother, raising her cubs in simulated wilderness using the "mother-rearing method" — keepers in panda-dung-smeared camouflage.

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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 Zhi Chun.

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Profile snapshot

Quick facts

Birth date

October 19, 2010

Birth place

China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda

Current location

Wolong Shenshuping Panda Base

Status

Alive

Studbook

#800

Archive activity

2 updates · 0 media

Narrative

Life story

Start with a concise summary, then continue into the full narrative record for Zhi Chun.

Short version

Basic Profile

Zhi Chun (Chinese: 知春, “Knowing Spring”), studbook number 800, is a female giant panda born on October 19, 2010 at the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas (CCRCGP) Ya’an Bifengxia Base. She was the last giant panda cub born anywhere in the world in 2010.

Her father is Lu Lu (芦芦) and her mother is You You (优优), making her the older sister of Bing Hua (冰华, studbook 929). Her siblings include Qian Qian, Duo Duo, Xin Ni’er, Xiang Lu, Yue Yue, Ban Ban, and Ya Nan.

Offspring

Zhi Chun is an experienced mother of five:

Name	Studbook	Gender	Birth	Notes
Xiang Zhu (香竹)	1149	Female	2018-08-06	At Yangzhou Zaolin Bay
Tao Su (桃苏/小松果)	—	Female	2019-10-20	Twin; wild training participant
Ai Lian (爱莲)	—	Male	2019-10-20	Twin; at Chongqing Leheledu
Yuan Fu (缘福)	1339	Male	2022-07-21	Twin; wild training candidate
Chun Xiao (春晓)	1340	Female	2022-07-21	Twin; wild training candidate

The Anyang Incident (2015–2017)

The Loan

On September 27, 2015, Zhi Chun and male panda Di Di (迪迪) were transferred to Anyang People’s Park in Henan for a three-year exhibition. Their arrival was met with excitement — local residents lined up to catch a glimpse of the city’s first pandas.

The Controversy

In June 2017, a visitor posted videos and photos online showing disturbing conditions at the Anyang panda facility:

A keeper was smoking a cigarette while handling panda food
The enclosure appeared dirty and poorly maintained
Hygiene standards were visibly below acceptable levels

The posts went viral. In July 2017, the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas dispatched an inspection team. Their findings confirmed “irregularities in feeding management and husbandry practices.” CCRCGP issued a formal整改 (rectification) order, and the Anyang facility was forced to implement comprehensive improvements.

Zhi Chun and Di Di remained at Anyang until their loan period ended, but the incident became a widely cited case study in the importance of maintaining standards at panda exhibition facilities.

Wild Training Mother (2020–present)

The Mother-Rearing Method

In 2020, Zhi Chun returned to the Hetaoping Wild Training Base — but not for retirement. She was selected for CCRCGP’s wild reintroduction program, one of the center’s most demanding conservation initiatives.

The program uses a method called “母兽带崽法” (mother-rearing method) : instead of hand-rearing cubs in a nursery, mothers are placed in large, simulated-wild enclosures with their cubs from birth. The enclosures are designed to mimic natural habitat — dense bamboo groves, forest cover, steep slopes — with minimal human infrastructure visible.

Zhi Chun’s role: raise her cubs without human contact.

Keepers monitor from a distance, entering the enclosure only for essential cleaning. When they do enter, they wear camouflage suits smeared with panda feces to mask their human scent. The cubs learn everything — foraging, climbing, nest-building, predator avoidance — from their mother, not from humans.

2022: Wild Training Twins

On July 21, 2022, Zhi Chun gave birth to twins Yuan Fu (缘福) and Chun Xiao (春晓) inside her wild training enclosure. From their first breath, the cubs were raised in the simulated wild environment, with Zhi Chun serving as their sole teacher.

This birth was part of a remarkable 2022 season at Hetaoping: between June and July, six pregnant females were in the wild training program, and five of them delivered twins. Zhi Chun was the fifth.

By 2023, both Yuan Fu and Chun Xiao were approaching the age (1.5–2 years) at which they would be evaluated for potential release into fully wild environments. Yuan Fu was adopted by the game Onmyoji (阴阳师), with the adoption fees supporting the wild training program.

2019 Twins: Two Paths

Zhi Chun’s 2019 twins, Tao Su (桃苏) and Ai Lian (爱莲), followed different trajectories:

Tao Su (nicknamed Xiao Song Guo/小松果) entered the wild training program with her mother but was withdrawn in July 2023 when she did not pass the release assessment. She now lives at the Wolong Shenshuping Base.
Ai Lian was transferred to Chongqing Yongchuan Leheledu Animal Theme Park in December 2023, where he lives alongside Qing Hua (青花), Qing Lu (青露), and Qiao Yue (巧月).

Personality

Zhi Chun is described by her keepers at Hetaoping as a calm, capable mother — the kind of panda who adapts readily to the demands of wild training. She does not panic when keepers approach in their camouflage suits. She does not abandon her cubs. She teaches them what they need to know and lets them go when the time comes.

At the Hetaoping Base, keeper Feng Gaozhi puts it simply: “Pandas like Zhi Chun — they’re the ones who make this program work.”

Evidence

Life timeline

Key updates and milestone events tied to Zhi Chun.

2 updates

2015 (1)

Transfer Sep 27, 2015

Zhi Chun transferred to Anyang

Zhi Chun and Di Di moved to Anyang People's Park for a three-year exhibition.

2010 (1)

Birth Oct 19, 2010

Birth of Zhi Chun

Zhi Chun was born at Ya'an Bifengxia Base, the last panda cub born in 2010.

Knowledge graph

Family and network

See the core family graph first, then continue through related pandas and archive themes.

Father Half-siblings (grouped) Children

Zhi Chun has 21 half-siblings. The majority share the same father, Lu Lu , indicating a highly prolific paternal lineage.

Related profiles

Other pandas connected to Zhi Chun

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captive-bred

Zhi Chun

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

Quick facts

Life story

Basic Profile

Offspring

The Anyang Incident (2015–2017)

The Loan

The Controversy

Wild Training Mother (2020–present)

The Mother-Rearing Method

2022: Wild Training Twins

2019 Twins: Two Paths

Personality

Life timeline

Zhi Chun transferred to Anyang

Birth of Zhi Chun

Family and network

Other pandas connected to Zhi Chun

A Ling

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Bai Tian

Bing Hua

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Chun Xiao

Cui Cui

Fei Yun

Fu Ni

Han Han

Hao Hao

Hua Zui Ba

Ji Nian

Lang Lang

Lu Lin

Lu Lu

Ning Ning

Shu Qin

Shun Shun

Tao Tao

Xing Hui

Xing Xing

Xue Xue

Ying Ying

Yuan Fu

A Bao

A Bao

Bao Lan

Cai Tao

Da Bai Tu

Da Li

Ding Ding

Er Xi

Fei Yun

Fu Hu

Fu Hu

Hu Chun

Hu Xiao

Jiao Qing

Jin Hu

Kai Hin

Mei Lun

Miao Miao

Miao Yin

Qing Shan

Shan Hu

Ya Yun

Yang Hu

You Hin

You Hin

Zhu Lin

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Place journey

China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda

China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda

Wolong Shenshuping Panda Base

Current location

Archive paths