From Wednesday until Oct 27, the public are invited to come up with names for the two giant pandas gifted to Hong Kong by the central government, and a panda-themed drawing competition will be rolled out on Oct 21.
Announcing the news, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Kevin Yeung Yun-hung said the aim of the naming contest is to find names that best describe the traits of the pandas. Those submitting name suggestions are asked to explain the reasons behind their choice in 100 words. The government will also set up a dedicated committee to take charge of the naming campaign.
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Giant pandas in Hong Kong have usually been named either after soliciting suggestions from the public, or by keeping the names that were given to them while breastfeeding, or by adopting the names that were given to them by the authorities. The first pair of giant pandas gifted to Hong Kong by the central government — An An and Jia Jia — in 1999 kept the names they had been given before they came to Hong Kong.
The drawing competition will be divided into primary, secondary and open sections, and a written explanation of the concept behind the drawing will also be required. Ocean Park Hong Kong will announce the details later.
The new pair of giant pandas, which were known as An An and Ke Ke in their original habitat, are both aged five. They arrived in the HKSAR from Sichuan province on Sept 26 to a grand welcoming ceremony. The pandas are expected to meet the public in mid-December following a period in quarantine.
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With their arrival, the panda population in the city has now increased to six, including the locally born panda twins. The twins are expected make their public debut in the first quarter of next year.
The Hong Kong Tourism Board earlier launched a one-stop webpage about the pandas, keeping residents and tourists informed with the latest panda updates. Welcoming events for the pandas have also been held in various districts across Hong Kong, and Hongkong Post plans to issue panda-themed stamps and philatelic products in December.
