Hua Sheng

Basic Profile

Hua Sheng (Chinese: 花生, “Peanut”) was a female giant panda born on July 9, 2016 at the Shanghai Wildlife Park (CCRCGP Shanghai Base). She weighed 151 grams at birth with a body length of 14.3 cm. She was the first giant panda cub ever successfully bred in Shanghai.

Her mother was Guo Guo (帼帼).

Naming

On September 9, 2016 — her two-month milestone — Hua Sheng was officially named through a public event. The name “花生” (Peanut) was chosen with dual meaning: “bloom like a flower” (花生 = flower + life) and “take root and thrive in Shanghai” (生根开花).

By 100 days old, she weighed 5,440 grams, measured 64 cm, and had four teeth.

Tragedy

On December 19, 2016, Guo Guo developed acute pancreatitis. Despite intensive care, she died on December 26.

On December 23, while her mother was already critically ill, Hua Sheng developed intestinal torsion (肠扭转) . A joint medical team from the Shanghai Wildlife Park, CCRCGP, and Fudan University Affiliated Pediatric Hospital fought to save her. Despite their efforts, she died from massive intestinal necrosis with multi-organ failure on December 31, 2016 — just 175 days old.

The mother and daughter died five days apart. Both bodies were preserved for scientific study.