Panda pair renamed 'Xing Xing' and 'Liang Liang'

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today announced new names for the iconic Giant Panda pair that was loaned to Malaysia by China.

The male is known as ‘Xing Xing’, which brings the meaning of prosperity while the female panda is named ‘Liang Liang’ which signifies beauty.

The two names were chosen from a list of 2,000 suggestions by the public in a national-level contest by the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry.

"We know that the giant pandas have Chinese names but we also want them to have Malaysian names, especially when they have to be here for the next 10 years.

"I hope the pandas will not get confused as they now have two names – Chinese names and Malaysian names," quipped Najib in a Bernama report.

The premier, who was opening the Giant Panda Conservation Centre in light of Zoo Negara's 50th anniversary celebration here today, said the pandas should be given local names to lure more visitors to the zoo.

The panda pair were originally called Fu Wa (male) and Feng Yi (female) and became the symbol of a good friendship Malaysia and China has fostered for the past 40 years.

The pandas arrived in Malaysia via air cargo on May 21.

The panda habitat in Putrajaya began construction in April 2013 and was completed in January.

Giant Pandas are the national treasure of China, and only a few countries has had the honour of working under the International Giant Panda Conservation Cooperation Agreement.

In addition to establishing diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China, the programme also created an opportunity for Malaysia to conduct research on panda.