Huan Huan

Basic Profile

Huan Huan (Chinese: 欢欢), studbook number 723, is a female giant panda born on August 10, 2008, at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. Her mother is Qi Zhen (奇珍, studbook 498). She was selected alongside male giant panda Yuan Zi (园子/圆仔) for a landmark Sino-French conservation partnership.

Journey to France

On January 15, 2012, Huan Huan and Yuan Zi departed China aboard a FedEx charter flight, arriving at ZooParc de Beauval in Saint-Aignan, France. The zoo invested €8 million in constructing a 2.5-hectare Chinese-style panda enclosure featuring climate control, artificial misting systems, and a dedicated bamboo plantation supplying 20 kg of fresh bamboo daily.

The pair were formally introduced to the public in February 2012 after a one-month quarantine period. Their arrival at Beauval dramatically boosted the zoo’s annual visitor numbers from 600,000 (2012) to 1.35 million (2016).

Offspring

Huan Huan has successfully mothered three cubs at Beauval Zoo:

• Yuan Meng (圆梦), male, born August 4, 2017 — the first giant panda born in France. He gained international attention for his distinctive curly fur caused by excessive licking from Huan Huan. French First Lady Brigitte Macron attended his naming ceremony. Yuan Meng returned to China on July 26, 2023.

• Huan Li Li (欢黎黎), female, born August 2, 2021 (twin, 149g at birth). Her name combines “Huan Huan” and “Li” (from the French word for “lycée”).

• Yuan Du Du (圆嘟嘟), female, born August 2, 2021 (twin, 128g at birth). Her name combines “Yuan Zi” and “Du Du” (meaning “chubby” in Chinese).

The twins’ naming ceremony on November 19, 2021 was attended by French football star Kylian Mbappé and Chinese Olympic diving champion Zhang Jiaqi.

Return to China

In 2025, Huan Huan was diagnosed with kidney dysfunction. As a result, she and Yuan Zi ended their French residency early. On November 26, 2025, the pair arrived in Chengdu aboard a FedEx charter flight, returning to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding for quarantine and ongoing medical care. Their twin daughters Huan Li Li and Yuan Du Du remain at Beauval Zoo under the terms of the extended cooperation agreement until 2027.