HONG KONG (AP) 鈥� Hong Kong's have finally been named and introduced as Jia Jia and De De.
The names of the cubs, affectionately known as 鈥淓lder Sister鈥� and 鈥淟ittle Brother,鈥� were announced Tuesday in a ceremony at Ocean Park, the theme park housing them, their parents and two other last year.
The names were the winning suggestions from residents in a that drew more than 35,700 entries.
The Chinese character 鈥淛ia,鈥� from the female cub's name 鈥淛ia Jia,鈥� carries a message of support and features an element of family and a sense of auspicious grace. The name embodies the prosperity of families and the nation and the happiness of the people, the park said.
The Chinese character 鈥淒e," from the male cub's name, means to succeed, carrying the connotation that Hong Kong is successful in everything. De also has the same pronunciation as the Chinese character for virtue, the park said, suggesting giant pandas possess virtues cherished by Chinese people.
Ocean Park chairman Paulo Pong said they followed tradition by using Mandarin pronunciation for the pandas鈥� English names. He said 鈥淛ia" sounds like a word in the Cantonese term for elder sister, while 鈥淒e De鈥� sounds a bit like the Cantonese phrase for little brother. Cantonese is the mother language of many Hong Kongers.
鈥淚t's a very positive pair of names,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e have to be a bit creative here with the names.鈥�
The cubs, who live with their mom, attracted crowds of visitors on Tuesday. Jia Jia explored a rock and walked around their area, while De De climbed a tree.
Visitor Polly Luk, a panda lover with an annual pass to the park, spent an hour in line to see the cubs.
鈥淚鈥檓 so used to their old names. Even now they have new names, I'll still call them 鈥楨lder Sister鈥� and 鈥楲ittle Brother鈥�," Luk said.
The twins' birth in August made their mother, Ying Ying, the world鈥檚 oldest first-time panda mom a day before her 19th birthday. Their popularity among residents, visitors and on social media raised hopes for a tourism boost in the city, where politicians touted the commercial opportunities as
Observers are watching whether housing six pandas helps the park revive its business, especially when caring for the animals in captivity is expensive. Ocean Park recorded a deficit of 71.6 million Hong Kong dollars ($9.2 million) last financial year.
The park recorded a nearly 40% growth in visitor flow and 40% increase in overall income during a five-day holiday beginning May 1 in mainland China, said Pong, who hopes the growth momentum will continue through summer, Halloween and Christmas seasons.
Pandas are considered China鈥檚 unofficial national mascot. The country鈥檚 giant panda loan program with overseas zoos has long been seen as a tool of Beijing鈥檚 .
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Associated Press video journalist Alice Fung contributed to this report.
Kanis Leung, The Associated Press
