Meng Yuan

Basic Profile

Meng Yuan (Chinese: 梦圆, meaning “Dream Come True”; German: Erfüllter Traum) is a male giant panda born on September 1, 2019 (local time August 31, 2019) at Berlin Zoological Garden in Germany. He holds the global studbook number 1213.

Parents’ Arrival in Berlin

His parents are Jiao Qing (娇庆, studbook 824) and Meng Meng (梦梦, studbook 868). On June 23, 2017, they arrived in Berlin as special envoys (Sonderbotschafter) of Sino-German friendship, following the 15-year cooperation agreement signed in April 2017. Chinese Ambassador to Germany Shi Mingde and Berlin Mayor Michael Müller personally welcomed them. On July 5, 2017, they moved into the Berlin Zoo Panda House.

Meng Yuan has a twin brother Meng Xiang (梦想) and younger twin sisters Meng Hao (梦好) and Meng Tian (梦甜) born in 2024.

Naming Ceremony

On December 9, 2019, Berlin Zoo held the traditional 100-day naming ceremony. Following Chinese custom, the cubs’ names and genders were formally revealed. “Meng Yuan” (梦圆, “Dream Come True”) and “Meng Xiang” (梦想, “Dream”) together mean “美梦成真” — a blessing for Sino-German friendship. The cubs were also given German nicknames: Pit and Paule. Chinese Ambassador Wu Ken and Berlin Mayor Michael Müller attended.

Global Panda Award

On December 12, 2019, the twin cubs won the “Annual Panda Cub Award” in the 2019 Global Panda Awards.

Public Debut

On January 21, 2020, the twins began exploring their enclosure. On January 30, 2020, they made their official public debut alongside mother Meng Meng.

Life in Berlin

Personality & Appearance

Meng Yuan is described as the more active, brave, and adventurous of the twins. Keepers noted he was always the first to explore new objects and the more daring of the two. In sibling dynamics, he is the dominant twin — while he does not actively pick fights (不会主动撩架), his brother Meng Xiang generally cannot win against him.

Food preferences also set him apart: Meng Yuan has a particular fondness for honey, whereas his brother prefers apples and wowotou.

How to Tell Meng Xiang and Meng Yuan Apart

Since the twins often appear together in photos, the most reliable visual cue is their snout length (嘴筒子). Meng Yuan has a shorter snout (嘴筒子短), while his brother Meng Xiang’s snout is noticeably longer. Meng Yuan also has a crew-cut-like flat top and a more alert, active expression, making the short-snouted, lively twin likely to be Meng Yuan.

Physically, Meng Yuan has a distinctive appearance — his snout is relatively short, his ears are set wide apart, and the hair on top of his head is evenly short, giving him the look of a crew cut (平头) from both front and back.

Birthday Celebrations

On August 31, 2022, the twins’ third birthday featured a special “birthday bucket” filled with ice, sliced apples, sweet potato chunks, and bamboo shoots specially ordered from China, with a frozen “3” made from beetroot juice (Rote-Bete-Saft).

In November 2021, the twins began the weaning process. Per the Sino-German agreement, cubs born overseas must return to China after approximately four years.

Return to China

In November 2023, the twins entered a month-long quarantine. A farewell ceremony was held on December 8, 2023, attended by Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner. On December 17, 2023, Meng Yuan arrived safely in Chengdu aboard an Air China cargo flight, accompanied by two German keepers who assisted the transition.

Quarantine & Adaptation

During quarantine, Meng Yuan adapted quickly. Keeper Yu Naibai (俞奶爸) noted that the twins slept curled up together at night and were harmonious overall. Both brothers became among the top bamboo eaters at the base. Yu Naibai built rapport by consistently calling their names, and both twins began responding within days.

After quarantine, Meng Yuan moved to Activity Area 4 of Panda Villa 1 alongside his brother. The adjustment took longer due to unfamiliar scents from other pandas, but Meng Yuan acclimated faster than typical for newly arrived pandas.

Public Exhibition

In February 2024, after completing isolation and quarantine, Meng Yuan made his official public debut at Chengdu Base.

Meng Yuan currently resides at the Xinghan Pavilion (星汉馆) at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.