Hundreds of panda lovers thronged Ocean Park on Sunday to greet the city’s first locally-born giant panda twins as the cubs made their public debut.

The fans said they were amazed by the six-month-old cubs, which “melted our hearts”.

More than 500 fans had queued up outside the theme park’s exhibition hall way before the gates opened at 10am. Many of them had arrived three hours earlier, wearing panda-themed accessories like headbands, hats, backpacks and panda plush toys. Guided by park employees, the long queue proceeded in an orderly fashion, with many visitors running briskly to the panda pavilion, relishing the joy the pandas have brought to the city.

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A day after the panda twins, nicknamed “elder sister” and “little brother”, turned six months old, the cubs greeted their virtual fans, who have been eagerly following their growth.

The park allows residents to see the cubs from 10am to 3pm daily, with each visitor allotted a roughly five-minute stay. The park also provides visitors with various panda-themed photo props, activities, and snacks. The panda souvenirs in the gift shop attracted numerous fans viewing or buying them.

There were also families visiting, representing a mix of local and international guests of all ages.

The crowd included 29-year-old telecom professional, Phoenix Wong, clutching a plush toy of “elder sister” while queuing up.

Wong, who lives in Tin Shui Wai, the New Territories, and arrived at the park in Hong Kong Island’s Southern District at about 7:30am, was among the first to meet the panda twins in person. She said the cubs “melted" her heart, noting that many other visitors treated the pandas like their own children, showering them with praise and photos.

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Calling herself as a devoted “super fan” of the twins, Wong said she has been closely following their journey since birth. Eager to see more panda-themed activities in Hong Kong, she said here could be more opportunities to meet them, like making snacks for the pandas and feeding them with bamboo. She also hopes there would be panda merchandise that could capture the essence of “elder sister” and “little brother.” 

Kris Wong -- a 32-year-old banking professional – said the twins were playing on a swing, and appeared to be very lively and intelligent, especially “elder sister”, who struck funny poses. But, he said five minutes was “quite short” for a thorough observation of the cubs. However, he praised the park’s employees for guiding visitors around well.

Another resident, surnamed Cheung, shared her enduring love for the pandas, saying she visits Ocean Park twice monthly. Although she has seen pandas in Chengdu, Beijing, Macao and Guangzhou, she noted there’s a “unique connection” when observing Hong Kong’s locally-born giant pandas.

Cheung said she hopes there could be more pandas in the special administrative region, believing that a larger panda family would make the city livelier.

The giant panda twins were born in August last year to their parents -- Ying Ying and Le Le that the central government had given to the HKSAR as gifts.

Now weighing more than 10 kilograms each -- a significant increase from their birth weight of just 120 grams -- the twins have raised Hong Kong’s giant panda count to six, making the city home to the largest panda population outside of the Chinese mainland.

Hong Kong has kicked off a series of activities ahead of the cubs’ public debut, including launching 3D panda mailboxes, a sculpture exhibition, and a special edition of the Octopus card.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Saturday residents have been invited to join a competition to name the twins by submitting their suggestions online. The competition will run until March 7.

Contact the writer at amberwu@chinadailyhk.com