Yesterday afternoon, at 5:40pm, emitting clear and melodious calls, the first giant panda cub born in Chengdu in 2006 was born at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.

    Seventeen minutes afterwards, while staff at the base were still in a joyful mood, without the slightest warning, the second panda cub came into the world crying. And so, after a long wait, the first set of giant panda twins born anywhere in the world this year, were finally born in Chengdu. 

    The twins’”supermom”is seven-year-old Hele, at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. (She was named Qiyuan,and has been adopted by the English Hele Corporation.)

    The twin male cubs weighed 169 grams and 119 gramms.So far, mother and cubs are fit and healthy.The staff here alternate each twin with its mother every four hours. Our visitors can see what’s happening with Hele and her cub on closed-circuit TV, and also watch the hand-raised cub in its humidicrib up close, through the glass.If you can’t come to Chengdu panda base now, you can still visit our website at http://www.panda.org.cn/qwxm/yy/yy.htm to see precious pictures of Hele rearing her cubs.

Qiyuan and her new-born cubs

Two cute, handsome guys!