Giant panda Xiang Xiang celebrates 7th birthday

Xiang Xiang, the celebrity female giant panda born in Japan, turned 7 years old on Wednesday! Crowds of visitors, including hundreds from Japan, flocked to the Ya'an base of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Sichuan Province to join in the festivities.

Xiang Xiang was born on June 12, 2017 at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo to Shin Shin (female) and Ri Ri (male), two giant pandas on loan from China. She returned to China in February 2023 according to the loan agreement.