Qi Zhen

Basic Profile

Qi Zhen (Chinese: 奇珍, studbook number 490) is a female giant panda born on September 4, 1999 at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.

Her mother is Mei Mei (梅梅, sb486) — the famous “hero mother” who founded the Hamada lineage in Japan — and her father is Ha Lan (哈兰, sb287), the prolific wild-born sire from Gansu.

The Name: “Seven Stitches”

Qi Zhen’s name tells a dramatic story. She was Mei Mei’s first cub, and her inexperienced mother was frightened by the tiny, pink, hairless newborn. In her panic, Mei Mei accidentally tore the skin on Qi Zhen’s chest with her claws.

Quick-thinking keepers risked Mei Mei’s wrath to rescue the injured cub. A veterinarian performed emergency surgery, requiring seven stitches to close the wound. To commemorate the seven stitches that saved her life, she was given the name “奇珍” (Qi Zhen) — a homophone for “seven stitches” (七针).

Motherhood

Qi Zhen inherited her mother Mei Mei’s exceptional maternal instincts — Mei Mei was renowned for successfully raising twin cubs with minimal human intervention.

On August 6, 2010, Qi Zhen gave birth to twin cubs — the first pair born at Chengdu Base that year. In an astonishingly efficient delivery:

• First cub (female, 153 g) — born just 1 minute after water broke at 1:06 PM
• Second cub (male, 149 g) — born just 5 minutes after the second water broke at 3:45 PM

She demonstrated remarkable skill: holding the first cub in her arms while gently picking up the second with her mouth — exactly as her mother Mei Mei had done. Both cubs were healthy.

Notable Offspring

• Wu Yi (五一, studbook 630) — the famous 51-gram lightweight record-holder
• Huan Huan (欢欢, studbook 723) — traveled to ZooParc de Beauval in France
• Additional cubs born at the Chengdu Base through the years