Mei Sheng

Mei Sheng
Other nameChinese: 美生
SpeciesGiant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)
SexMale
BornMei Sheng
(2003-08-19) August 19, 2003
San Diego Zoo, California, United States
NationalityAmerican-born (returned to China)
OccupationConservation animal
Known forSecond giant panda born at the San Diego Zoo; offspring of Bai Yun and Gao Gao
OwnerSan Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance / China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda
ResidenceBifengxia Panda Base, Ya'an, Sichuan, China
ParentsGao Gao (father) and Bai Yun (mother)
Named afterLiteral translation: "Beautiful Life" or "Born in the USA"

Mei Sheng (Chinese: 美生; pinyin: Měi shēng; lit. 'Beautiful Life or Born in the USA'; born August 19, 2003)[1] is a male giant panda born at the San Diego Zoo[2] to Bai Yun and Gao Gao.[3] He is the firstborn cub of the two pandas,[4] and the half-brother of Hua Mei and the brother of Su Lin, Zhen Zhen, Yun Zi, and Xiao Liwu.[5] The Chinese government had sent Bai Yun to the San Diego Zoo in 1996 and she was shipped back 23 years later as part of a panda diplomacy established in 1987.[6]

Mei Sheng was sent to China on November 5, 2007. He was reported to have arrived safely at the Wolong National Nature Reserve three days later,[7] following a break at Chengdu on November 7.[3] After the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, Mei Sheng was relocated to Bifengxia Panda Base, just outside Ya'an, where, in May 2009, he successfully bred with a female giant panda, Ying Ying.[8] Ying Ying's female cub, born August 26, and named Shu Qin, was sired by another male panda, Lu Lu.[9]

Mei Sheng was one of ten pandas sent from the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding to Nanjing on August 28, 2019, and he was settled in Tangshan.[10] On August 21, 2023, Mei Sheng was sent to the Wolong National Nature Reserve in order to "retire".[11] By the end of 2024, all giant pandas were expected to return from the United States to China, thereby ending the panda diplomacy,[12] which lasted between the United States and China since 1972.[13] Despite worsening China–United States relations, the Chinese government was still willing to send giant pandas to the United States in 2024.[14]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "来看，'海归'大熊猫们的幸福生活" [Looks at the happy life of 'returnees' giant pandas]. Xinhua Net.
  2. ↑ "A glimpse of foreign-born giant pandas' life after returning to China". China Daily. Xinhua News Agency. November 26, 2024. Archived from the original on March 28, 2026. Retrieved August 29, 2026.
  3. 1 2 Zhang, Nan (November 11, 2007). "中国四川利用大熊猫推动旅游经济" [China's Sichuan uses giant pandas to boost tourism economy]. Voice of America (in Chinese).
  4. ↑ "'海归'大熊猫'美生'在上海度过第一夜(图)" ['Returnee' giant panda 'Meisheng' spent their first night in Shanghai (picture)]. Sohu (in Chinese). November 7, 2007.
  5. ↑ "Meet the Pandas". San Diego Zoo. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013.
  6. ↑ "'驻美'23年诞5子女　大熊猫白云将回国养老" [After 23 years and five cubs in the U.S., giant panda Bai Yun is returning to China for her retirement]. ON CC (in Chinese). April 8, 2019.
  7. ↑ Chan, Royston (November 7, 2007). "Home is where the heart is for "Born in USA" panda". Reuters.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  8. ↑ Hall, Suzanne (May 14, 2009). "Gao Gao grandbabies?". San Diego Zoo.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ↑ "Panda Shu Qin: A Boss-like Beauty". Panda Tribe. March 7, 2025. Archived from the original on February 15, 2026. Retrieved August 29, 2026.
  10. ↑ "10只大熊猫落户南京紫清湖 其中6只是'海归'" [10 giant pandas settled in Ziqing Lake, Nanjing, 6 of them 'returnees']. August 29, 2019. Archived from the original on August 29, 2019. Retrieved August 29, 2026.
  11. ↑ "20岁大熊猫"美生"离开南京回四川养老" [The 20-year-old giant panda "Meisheng" left Nanjing and returned to Sichuan for retirement]. Sohu (in Chinese). August 22, 2023.
  12. ↑ Lianhe, Zaobao (September 28, 2023). "旅美大熊貓明年底全部回國　中美50年「熊貓外交」或結束" [All giant pandas in the United States will return to China and the United States at the end of next year. The 50-year 'panda diplomacy' between China and the United States may end]. HK01 (in Chinese).
  13. ↑ "美国动物园将喜迎新大熊猫" [U.S. Zoo to Welcome New Giant Pandas]. Metro TV (in Chinese). May 30, 2024.
  14. ↑ "熊猫外交 谁是赢家?" [Panda Diplomacy Who is the winner?]. Deutsche Welle (in Chinese). July 21, 2024. Archived from the original on January 23, 2026. Retrieved August 29, 2026.
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