Rick Gulley, left, and Ron Swaisgood reveal our cub’s name.
I have worked as a panda narrator at the San Diego Zoo’s Giant Panda Research Center for only a couple of years, and I’ve never been to a naming ceremony before. As this was my first one, I was VERY excited! While we waited, two Chinese musicians played traditional music, and a video montage of the cub’s exams thus far played above the stage. I, for one, could watch it over and over—the little guy is just that cute!
Lion dancers help us celebrate the cub’s name!
Once all of the anxious audience members were seated, a beautiful parade began. Chinese lion dancers in amazing costumes danced around the Zoo’s Hunte Amphitheater and interacted with the crowd. After a small performance, the president of our board of trustees, Rick Gulley, spoke about how thrilling the moment was. He then introduced the consulate-general of the People’s Republic of China, Qiu Shaofang, who discussed how happy China is with the accomplishments the Zoo has had with giant panda conservation. He included the cub’s name: Xiao Liwu, which means “little gift.” The audience gasped in amazement. Finally, the co-head of our giant panda program, Ron Swaisgood, spoke of the conservation accomplishments in China and at the Zoo. It really opened everyone’s eyes as to how much we are doing to help these amazing bears.
Once the speeches were over, the three men unveiled a black cloth that was draped over the large sign. There was the photo of Xiao Liwu and his name and pronunciation (sshyaoww-lee-woo) printed on the bottom. This sixth cub really is a “little gift” to our Zoo. Attending this ceremony made me very proud to not only be a San Diegan, but to be a panda narrator. This was truly an amazing and unforgettable experience!
Alyssa Medeiros is a panda narrator at the San Diego Zoo. Read her previous post, Yun Zi: A Wild Child.
Note: Watch the entire ceremony here…
That’s a great name for our newest Panda Baby who my husband and I have been watching from his birth. San Diego ZOO must be so proud to have such a wonderful Panda Mom who cars os much for her babies…
whot a lovley name little gift ive been watching him grow bigger and stronger each day .i would love a cuddle from baby panda
Xiao Liwu is sound asleep. Mom must be out taking a much needed nap. This morning I was watching her give (little gift) a bath and playing with him. He sure is getting around now. It was really cute he looked like he was trying to eat some bamboo just like his mom. Growing every day. He IS a special gift to me and rest of the world. Thanks SDZ for keeping updated with the Panda cam. He makes my day every time I watch him and his mom !!!
Me and my niece Faith have been following this “Little Gift” since his birth as we have done the same with Yun Zi. We were so grateful to be able to participate in voting to name him and are so excited this was the chosen name which we both voted for. We look forward to being a part of his and your extended family for years to come. Many thanks from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada. Love and God Bless you all!
it should be a nickname for a kid, but not a formal name for an adult, no Chinese will have a name like this, especially when he grown up, will you name your kids “cake” or “book”? unbelievable!
The Chinese approved the name so they must have thought it was just fine.
Laurie is correct, his name was approved by the Chinese so I say if it is okay with them then it is okay with me!
And I must add my 2¢ here too.
The Chinese approved it, SDZ approved it, works for me. Xiao Liwu. I like it!
China must be relaxing their names because they recently named one Oreo
It’s a bit unfair to compare Xiao Liwu with a human child – he is far more special and unique than we are.
I feel honored and privileged that we are lucky enough to share this ‘gift’ with China – and I think his name is entirely appropriate.
I like his name, it is the one i voted for he is soooo cute, thanks to all who look after these animals, and all the animals at the zoo, you do a fantastic job x
They named one of their baby pandas “oreo” as I recall! That’s a cookie.
Are you serious, or just trolling? He’s a panda……….
I dont think enough people listened to the pronunciation as directed when making their choices, or voting. I think too many people also just saw ‘awww, such a cute little panda cub” when voting.
But I have to agree. Come adult panda time, I dont see “little gift” as a strong adult male panda name, either.
Maybe next time
I agree. We didn’t get the English pronounciation when the list to vote on was shown. We were asked to look it up to hear it spoken. I am not that high tech so I didn’t do it. He is going to be nicknamed no matter what, so why not Lee Woo? And when he is a man he can be just Lee. About the Xiao first name, it sounds Italian to me, “Chow” or some such. I voted for Raindrop which suits a baby or an adult. Maybe next time!
I for one voted for “Xiao Liwu” because of how much fun it is to say. Zow!
Xiao Liwu is an adorable Giant Panda, not a human, so it is irrelevant whether or not we’d name our (human) children “little gift.” Although I had actually voted for “brave son,” I initially liked Xiao Liwu because it is phonetically melodic and fits his contribution to the incredible program at the San Diego Zoo and for giant panda conservancy. I think it was a great choice!
I agree. He is a gift, to Bai et al and us too. What fun he will be to watch growing up. I liked the name raindrop. Argue with that one!! Initially I thought stormy would fit.He sure knows how to scream and throw a tantrum. He is a gift.Relax folks.
“Little Gift” can be a little bit ironic when he’s grown up and 100-150 kg.
I voted for “Brave Son” too, because I think it suits his character; he wasn’t frightend at all at the exams as far as I could see.
The name is a representation of this beautiful little bundle this panda gift is. You can’t compare it to a name for an adult or even a human for that matter. There aren’t panda families saying, wow that name is inappropriate. American Thoroughbreds can be named Secretariat, but no one would name their child that.
HAHA i completly agree with you. If they had an American Black Bear in their Chinese Zoo im sure they wouldnt name it “fast baseball” or “chevy Pickup” stupid name, why not name it after a president or a chinese emperor or something cool. Xiau Liwu pff im calling this Panda Ric Flair cause WOOOOOOOOOO!!!
i like the idea of “fast baseball” lol
Everyones name has a special meaning. His NAME is Xiao Liwu, but the MEANING is “little gift”. You address him by his name, NOT the meaning. For instance if your name was Michael but the meaning is “god like”. Im not going to call you “god like”, Im going to address you as Michael, YOUR NAME.
Well not really in this case.
If you want to say small or little in Chinese, it is xiao. Gift is liwu. So we really are calling him a little gift.
Xiao Liwu…what a perfect name! I just can’t get enough of this “little gift”
Wow he has name.
I was so sorry to miss this event, but so happy with the choice of the name — it was the one I voted for and I love the way it sounds. He truly is a precious little gift to all panda lovers everywhere… Thanks you SDZ and Panda Team for doing such a wonderful job with these precious creatures.
If you did not see the ceremony on video you can on USTREAM using this link. http://www.ustream.tv/sandiegozoo Anyone who missed the live and video event can see it here…..love grammmie
I’m gonna call him Baby WOOOOOOOO!
I’m gonna call him Baby sshyaoww!
Me too. His other name is too hard to pronounce.
And maybe when he is older how about Woooo Hoooo! If someone called him that, I will bet he would stop eating bamboo and look up to see who was calling him that, thinking he was cute!
Hoiw about woo woo?
Yes shall we call him Woooo? or some other nick name. I have been trying to say his name today after I came home. I have come up with Shall Lee Woo, Chow Lee Woo. I just sort of swallow the words and run them together to get the flow.
I think he needs a nick name that rolls off the tongue and also off the computer keys!! I can’t spell his name out in English very well.
He is so adorable.
Very nice ceremony. Short and sweet! I did see the video after I returned and the sound you first hear are the drums up in the back to introduce the lion dogs. I think what I liked about them the most were the tails they had moving.
Made me laugh so hard to watch the tails! Some worked it more than others.
I love this name. But he also need to keep his nick names we gave him. lol
Baby WOOOOOOOOO works for me too.
Only problem with the name is, he is not going to remain a baby cub for much longer, and calling an adult male panda “baby wooo”, or “little gift”, seems a tad odd. It’s like what someone else here said yesterday, would you really name someone “cake, or book”.
I dont know, i’ve a weird feeling, his name will change when he moves to China.
He is not moving to China, right? I might be wrong with this, but I thought that Xiao Liwu is to stay in US?
Moderators, could you please clarify (keeping my fingers crossed, he is!)
I also have a little difficulty with this name. It just does not flow easily out of my mouth. I can’t even spell it right…had to look it up. I guess it will take some practice…
I wonder if in Chinese tradition it is acceptable to use just one part of the name as nick name or everyone goes by the full given name? I would definitely be on Lee Woo side.
Moderator’s note: We don’t yet know what the future holds for Xiao Liwu, except continued cuteness.
Irma do you remember where you might have heard that we might get to keep our little gift??? It was always my understanding that all Pandas, even those born to these shores, are the property of China and that we pay a Lease price for them each year they are here. It sure sounds like a nice idea to get to keep one since we have done such a good job of caring for the Pandas in our charge. Perhaps you made note of the idea when you heard of it and it is in a file in your computer??? Let us know what you find….Love Grammmie
Dear Grammmie, I am afraid I might disappoint you, because I do not have any backdoor contacts in the panda world. I am relatively new here, this is my very first cub I am watching, and I joined when our precious Xiao Liwu was around 5 weeks old. Everything was very new to me, and I was learning a lot and paying attention to any detail about Bai and the baby. I recall reading in one of the comments that the initial agreement with China was to return five cubs back to them and that this #6 may stay here. I will try going back and looking for this comment when get a moment. Unless I totally misunderstood, I am pretty sure I read about it. Wouldn’t that be fabulous if Xiao Liwu remains on this land forever?
None of Xiao Liwu’s sisters and brother have had their names changed when they moved to Bifengxia Panda Base.
Hua Mei is still Hua Mei.
Mei Sheng is still Mei Sheng.
Su Lin is still Su Lin.
Zhen Zhen is still Zhen Zhen.
The other overseas-born pandas who have returned to Bifengxia have also not had their names changed.
Tai Shan is still Tai Shan.
Fu Long is still Fu Long.
Fu Hu, the latest to return, is still Fu Hu.
Hahahaha!! What about “Spin Cycle” !!!!! Spinner for short?!!
I like Baby Lee Woo. The first name is hard to pronounce, maybe “Chow” but that isn’t quite it.
It’s a name worth trying to pronounce, I think. I had to work on it for a little bit–it’s funny, but by learning how to pronounce Chinese words as well as learning the translations of their meanings from Zoo websites who have pandas, I’ve been able to use it at work when we get invoices from China! Too cool! And look–there he is, Xiao Liwu, on the Meet The Pandas page! Just like I wanted! Oh, thank you!
I think most of us still mispronounce Yun Zi…I know I do, but it is no harship since I am by myself most of the tme. I tend to think of his name as “Yun ZEE”, but when pronounced correctly that is not it. Love grammmie
If any of you are still interested in seeing Yun Zi Surfing in his pool if you go to the archives to see this post below you will see a photo. Love Grammmie
Yun Zi: 10 Months
By Debbie Andreen
– June 15, 2010Posted in: Animal Stories, Pandas
I found two more photos of Yunior Surfing in his pool, not big enough to show the pool well, but they are good too, and right next to the first one I gave. If you go back one and do not find another try the other direction and it will be there.
Grammmie, Is that the swing he loves so much now?!! Sure looks like it!
That was myfirst thought too, mybe it is. Lets ask the PANDA TEAM if it is, or just happens to be similar??????
Congratulations on your forever name Xiao Liwu!
I think it’s the perfect name for him! I have loved watching him grow. He’s so cute and so fun to watch with his mom.
Being a panda lover since this Little Boy was born and watching today when his name was revealed was just another exciting event for me. i cant thank all the people who worked with this cub. It’s been an unbelievable experience for me and im sure like wise. Now watching him growing up is such a great feeling. From seeing him so tiny and now seeing him walking around on his own makes you realize how important these animals are. Thank you again huhs and kisses to that little guy
Such a big name for such a little guy. He’ll have to “grow” into it. He truly is a gift, not only to the San Diego Zoo, but to all the world. I got to watch the naming ceremony and people watching it along with me were from all over the globe. May this “Little Gift” help spread the word that we all need to work together to save not only the panda species, but all endangered species.
I was not able to attend the naming ceremony but I ran back into my office during a break and watched the event on my ipad. What a beautiful ceremony and a sincere tribute to the Giant Panda research project!
I wondered if our Panda cub’s personality (i.e., noisy, quiet, layed back, etc) while young will predict their adult persona. For instance, this cubbie has been descibed as “layed back ” or “mellow”. Can we expect the same personality as an adult?
By the way, I voted for “little gift”. Thanks for your dedicated work to conserve these amazing creatures.
Kathie Nagel, lifelong Zoological member.
I am so excited about these little cubs. This little gift must seem like a gift to Bai Yun. I’ve been watching the panda cam day and night and am amazed at how small he was at birth to the size he’s grown into.Wish I could have been there for the naming but you can bet I’ll be there as soon as possible to see these pandas in person again. I want to thank you sooo much for the panda cam. and God bless all the animals and all the staff members taking care of them.
oh l just luv chub chubs new name he is a gift of joy to all off us watching thanku SDZ for letting us be apart of it! And I luv the video on YouTube of the 12 exams it was so special!
You guys are sure he’s a boy, right? We don’t want a repeat of the Mei Lan incident.
‘Xiao Li Wu, Wu Wu Woooooooooooooooooooooooooo thats me,’ sang Chubbers at the top of his lungs.
Bai Yun smiled and under her breath she muttered, ‘Oh how long will this go on? Thanks a lot SDZ!’ as she passed ear plugs to Gao Gao.
The whole family had flown in as according to Panda tradition, the family has its own naming ceremony after a 100 days. Xiao LiWu will get his own Gao family name. In each Chinese family there is a poem and each generation will use the same word from that poem. When faraway relatives met, they will know their kinship from their own names.
Hua Mei had just arrived and was in the kitchen with Su Lin and Mama. Zhen Zhen was playing with Xio LiWu, twirling him around as he sang ‘Xiao Li WOOOOOOOOOOOO!’ Mei Sheng was catching up with Yunnie and Papa. The Gao Family Naming Ceremony will begin after dinner.
‘Sheng, do they still have this special boo in China? Papa loves this brand but I heard they may not be growing them anymore,’ asks GG about his favourite topic.
‘Papa, they said the soil is no longer as fertile so they cannot grow the Double Golden Arrow boo any more.’
‘Pity, pity, it has a distinct mellow bouquet and a lovely aftertaste of camphor. So Sheng my boy, confess, how many hearts have you conquered eh? Have the lady pannas been dropping hints to you about checking stud books?’
‘Papa, how did you know? Some of them slip me notes with their stud numbers. What is that all about?’ asks the bashful handsome young panda.
‘Ge Ge, even I know that. They want you to see if they are compatible and then take the next step to ask them out to the club for a dance,’ laughed Yun Zi.
‘And dont forget what Papa taught you; salsa, rhumba, cha cha, a one two, three dip two three. Oooh, I love my salsa,’ grinned Gao Gao.
‘Really now?’ asked Bai Yun quizzically as she had just come out of the kitchen carrying her specialties.
‘Of course, my honey love, when you are dancing with the one you love, the heart sings and the night is forever young. One two cha cha cha,’ he growls the last part in a low Barry White voice.
‘Hee Hee Hee, look at you a Papa of 5 and talking of salsas. Boys, help Mama lay the table. We are going to eat in 10 mins. ZZ, please put Di Di down or he will be too hyper for his naming ceremony later….Ah Mei get one of the bottles in the fridge and warm it up for Di Di please…..Oh my, our family is together again after soooooo long.’
‘And it is cos of meeeeeeeeeeeee!’ yelled Xiao Li Wu who was very excited to meet his brothers and sisters whom he had heard so much of.
TO BE CONTINUED.
I love these stories! Thanks!
I loved the story too. I can just the family all gather at the bamboo tree getting to know each other. Xiao Liwu is thinking this is a great family to grow up in !!!!!
What does Di Di mean? Could that be his nickname? Wonder what the keepers will be calling him?
I’m going to make a guess that Di DI means little brother in Madarin. When Chinese family talk to each other, there are different word for older and younger siblings and maternal and paternal relationships.
You are correct. Di Di is younger brother, Ge Ge is elder brother. Jie Jie is Older Sister and Mei Mei is younger sister. Hee Hee.
Love,
No 5, Yunnie
I did think the Chinese would want him named “water dragon”, so even though I voted for Rain Drop am SO PLEASED WITH HIS NAME.
Now all I have to do is learn how to pronounce it.
To Yun Zi – what is the family name ??
Papa Gao wants us all to have traditional Chinese names based on a family poem. If you read the rest of the story, Papa and Mama gave me the name Yong Jiang. My public name is Yun Zi given by you the fans. I am happy to honour my Mama. Chinese family names are names represent qualities our parents want us to have.
I am a brave and strong son of cloud, I guess, hee hee.
Love,
YZ
Love this little guy and his name! Thank you staff for all that you do to keep us informed!
I absolutely love the way the Chinese speaker says Chubby Cubby’s name. Sounds like “Jolly Woo.”
I didn’t know those were lion dancers. for some reason, I always thought of them as dragons. I hope Xiao Liwu will take after Gao Gao. to me, the cub is a little bunchy Gao Gao gift. bunchy because his weight is bunched up at his rear.
We were fortunate to take our children to the Zoo this past summer. We had one day there with a large part spent in the Panda Canyon. When our daughter was 4 years old she announced that she would be a “pandatologist” when she grew up. Now four years later, it was a dream come true for her to see the pandas close up. We have watched the new cubbie since he was born and how exciting to have him be given the name she voted for! Being in Montana, it may be a while before we get to see him in person, but thank goodness for the web cam!
Great choice of a name–he is truly a Gift — Congratulations to a great team–we are so proud! I absolutely love following Xiao Liwu’s ongoing growth and seeing him progress and develop with his loving Mom! God Bless you all and keep up the wonderful work that you are doing! Please keep the Live Cam and exam updates coming for all the fans.
This was an awesome day! Watching the ceremony and learning the name of our little cub. Now, how to say it the proper way will be a real challenge for me.
Ron Swaisgood gave a real meaningful talk on the reality of pandas in China and he also gave us hope that they will be here for our grandchildren.
Thank SDZ for all the work you do for all your animals.
Congrats on the little guys new name. I was pushing for Yu Di, myself. I dont think I will ever get used to how to pronouce this one, no matter how many times I see it, and or hear it.
Congrats SDZ …
I would like to be able to hear the names pronounced right on the vote page. This one has so many syllables, once the caregivers finally get it all out, the cub will be half way up a forbidden tree! When we see the list, it seems we choose based on meaning and not so much the name itself. This cub will have difficulty telling his teacher how to pronounce his name when he gets to kindergarten.
There are only three syllables to his name. People are finding the first word had because it’s really hard to find an English word that is comparable to it. It’s different. How does one describe a rolling “r” or how Bostonians say “park”. It’s the same kind of problem.
As for when he goes to school, Xiao Liwu will most likely go to Chinese school
He needs to be able to communicate with the other bears.
Was just on the pandacam, and Xiao is in the den by himself taking a nap! Mom was out having her me time for awhile!
Watched the whole name ceremony on Ustream earlier today, and I enjoyed it alot despite some of the lag that my computer was giving me. Plus, the name that I voted for, Xiao Liwu, was the big winner for the cub’s new name! I’m happy! Well, gonna go and watch the pandacam again for a little while longer.
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
Hi, Moderator! It looks like the letter font has changed back to the slant style again! Do you know what’s causing this to happen? Not really complaining, tho! Just curious! It’s a pretty letter style, anyway!
Chari :}
Moderator’s note: Should be fixed now. Thanks for letting us know.
Hey, Moderator, letters are back to normal!
Thanks!!
Chari
I have been watching the cub since he was born. It has been very exciting watching him grow. He is so cute especially when mom is giving him a bath. I wish that the Panda Cam had sound because Xiao Liwu (Little gift) makes the cutest noises. What a great gift he is !!!!! Maybe someday soon I will be able to come see him and his mom. That would be very special !!!!
We love the name! We check on him daily. What a gift. Now all we have to do is learn to say the name.
He was a little gift, and still is. love watching him enter act with mom, but wait till he gets a little bigger. I think he’s going to be like big brother. In to trouble all the time. what a cutie.
Baby Woooooooo. We love it. We can also pronounce it!
omg . is that called a Name???
Conversations between Bai Yun and her family!
Bai Yun: Hey, family! Got you all on teleconference so that I can share some great news to you about my little baby boy! He had his 100th day birthday a few days ago, and today, he has finally been given a name that the humans voted for in a ceremony with lion dances and speeches in Chinese tradition. His new name is now XIAO LIWU, which mean little gift! And, as a proud mom, I am very happy to have this little gift with me to take care of and love for awhile! His daddy, Gao Gao, and big brother, Yun Zi, also know his name now and are both very happy as well! Everybody here in Cal are fine and resting after a long day of celebrating!
Su Lin from Bifengxia: Hi, Mom! Thanks for letting me know about my little brother’s new name! Now I can write to him with his name on the envelope! His cousin is doing very well at nearly a year and a half old now.
Hua Mei from Bifengxia: BIg big sis says HI to my littlest brother, Xiao! His 8 cousins are celebrating, too!
Mei Sheng: Hello, mother! Thanks for telling me about my littlest brother’s new name! I am very happy for him!
Zhen Zhen: Tiny brother finally get a name? YAAY!!! Tell him I love him!
Su Lin: Momma, I just let all of our aunts, uncles, cousins in other parts of China and USA know about Xiao Liwu’s new name! They should be celebrating, too!
Bai Yun: Thanks, Su! Well, I’m going to say goodby to all of you for now. I have to get back to Xiao in the den. I am in the garden room right now talking to all of you. I’ll talk with you all again soon when I have more good news about your little brother, ok? Saying Bye for now!
Bai Yun’s kids: OK! We all need to get to our snacks and boo dinner now anyway. Talk at you later! Oh yeah, say HI to daddy Gao and brother Yuni for us! And, Xiao, too!!
Bai Yun: OK! Much love to all of you!
Bai Yun’s family goes back to their daily routines; Bai goes back into the den to take care of little Xiao.
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
Your story is great. enjoy reading about Xiao Liwu family. Keep the stories coming.
Love the name – he can always be a little gift no matter how old he is.
Absolutely agree
I’m so excited! This is the name I voted for. yes! He is a ‘Little Gift’ as I would imagine this is Bai Yun’s last cub considering her age; but then again who knows? Thanks for sharing.
Can you simplify the way the name is pronounced ? I never did hear it clearly. Love the name by the way but would have loved the cub no matter what his name. Thanks so much!
I love little gift for the panda name i love watching him on the panda cam
‘I am a Xiao Li Wuuuuuuu, I am a Xiaooooo Liiiiiii Wuuuuuu!’ sings No 6 as he shakes his tushy in time with his own rhythm.
His mother smiles as the family has gathered for dinner to celebrate his naming ceremony. All the siblings including Hua Mei returned to met their sibling. Hua Mei has been ‘adopted’ by Gao Gao as his since he married Bai Yun.
After a sumptious feast of boo spring rolls, yam stew, boo salad, grilled boo shoots, pumpkin pie, yam slices, apple cake and honey clusters, the family gathered round the living room.
Gao Gao gathers Xiao LiWu in his arms. XLW is dressed in a red Chinese brocade jacket and pants. He was grinning as he was sooo excited.
‘Little one, you are No 6 in this family. For us Chinese, Six is auspicious and we know you are a gift to us and to the world. In our family, there is a generational poem and on the day of the Naming Ceremony, the Gao family has its own naming ceremony.
All the boys of your generation have a name with the same Chinese word. This tells us your place in the family. The family name for your generation is ‘Yong’ which is brave. Mei Sheng’s panda name is Yong Hui which means Brave and Wise. Yun Zi’s panda name is Yong Jiang which means Brave and Strong. My son your panda name will be Yong Ern which means Brave and Graciousness. A brave bear must show grace to those who are weaker. Wear this name well and may you grow worthy of your name.’
After Papa Gao has blessed and given XLW his panda name, his siblings gathered round to give him their presents. Hua Mei gave him a jade pendant. Mei Sheng and Yunior bought him a skate scooter and received the evil eye from Bai. Su Lin had knitted him a sweater and Zhennie gave him an iPaw mini.
After the family naming ceremony, knocks were heard as the neighbours had dropped by to celebrate with the Gaos. The hippos, giraffes, polar bears, takins, red pandas and lions were among the first to arrive.
Xiao Li Wu was so happy, he started dancing and singing much to the delight of his family and friends. The Panda Grrrrls whipped out their guitars and drums and soon the neighbourhood was partying till the wee hours of the morning. It is rumoured some nannykeepers were there too.
aaah… so cute! I just love these fanciful tales, all of them, always. Thank you!
Do the girls have family names too? So glad to read that Gao has adopted Hua Mei. Now she is a “full” member of Gao and Bai’s family.
Yes, the girls do too. For Chinese, normally the first word is our family name. Here we take Papa’s so it is Gao. Then comes our generational name as in the family poem. Boys get the names like brave, courageous etc and the girls get names like beautiful, grace, serene etc. And the last word is our own name. Normally Chinese parents choose a quality or virtue they want their child to have.
Papa and Mama wanted to keep the Chinese naming tradition as they like us children to learn some of the ways of our motherland while enjoying the ways of our birth country.
What American name will you give me and my siblings? Hee Hee.
Love,
Yun Zi
How’s my niece? Hao pu hao? [Good or not good] Hee Hee. I miss her noisy phone calls. I seldom hear from her nowadays. Has she moved?
Love,
Yunior
I’m ending my night with this …
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cp9RTY1H7xs&sns=em
SDZ put a compilation of Exams 1 to 12 to show to guests while they were waiting for the ceremony to start. This was GREAT!
I wish I had him but, sadly, he will grow too big for me. Plus, he needs to be with a group that can take care of him or taught how to survive in the wild.
Jusy,,this was excellent!!! Thank you……
Which panda was this? Thanks!
,
This is Xiao Liwu, Bai Yun’s sixth child and Gao Gao’s fifth.
That compilation video our our little gift is absolutely adorable. When he was crying out in the first few exams I felt so sorry for him… then wow — he grew so fast. What a heartbreaker. He is just so cute.
This was wonderful, I just want to kiss, kiss, kiss him sooo much!
what a beautiful video,thanks
Welcome to the world Precious Baby Giant Panda Xiao Liwu!!! You are love so much all over the world. You will have a good life and will always be well taken care of, so have all the fun you want to have!
Now I will need to get this pronunciation down… any help will be greatly appreciated.
Its 11:09pm and mom and her little gift is sound a sleep. What a beautiful sight and how peaceful they look
A happy day for all.
It was a WONDERFUL Day to be at the Zoo and I was so excited when they announced the name that I had sent in, (one of 6 suggestions I made), I was bouncing around all day with a smile on my face, this was a BIG THING for me. I have lived in SD for 8 yrs, been a member of the zoo for 8 yrs, been to 3 of these ceremonies and today, I got a “Little Gift”, myself, I felt like I did when I watched my daughter go to her first day of school, when I saw my son for the first time in his Tiger Cub Scout uniform. Proud and Happy that I had a part in helping to name our new cub, he truly is a gift, born during one of the best times for me, when I worked as a GA at the zoo. I am over the moon about this. Micci
You can be Proud and Happy
! It’s a very lovely name, who sounds melodious. It’s as tender as our Liwu Bear ! Thank you for your great idea ! Xiao Liwu is a précious gift for us and his new name remember us this fact, whenever we are looking him ! 
Congratulations, I’ll bet it does feel good! Some of the names I had thought of had the name “gift” in it because of course, that’s what he is to us. But they weren’t little gift and they weren’t names I ultimately submitted. Maybe if I had thought of Little Gift I may have, such a beautiful name for a beautiful gift!
The name I picked was not the name he got …..however….it is his name now and I love it. He is a bear, he will never think his name is sissy as he gets older…he is a bear!!! He is a gift, if you don’t believe me just ask Bai Yun.
I thought about it for a while after the ceremony, and I think in a way his name DOES pay some homage to Gao Gao. Gao Gao is on the smaller side for an adult male panda, and Xiao Liwu seems to be the smallest of his siblings as of yet, so he may be following in his daddy’s footsteps. Given the ages of both Gao and Bai and the fact that Bai didn’t have a cub last year- it was thought that she was done, AND the loss of Mei Xiang’s cub in September, he’s Gao Gao and Bai Yun’s little gift to the world and his species! Panda moms in China, lock up your daughters. Xiao Liwu will break some hearts (and so will Yunnie and Mei Sheng, of course!)
Nicely said….Love Grammmie
I initially thought of voting for ‘little gift’ but didn’t for two reasons: a) it doesn’t sound that great in Chinese; b) this is a male panda that will grow immensely in weight and size. Sure, it’s cute now because he’s a baby. But when he’s full grown, it makes no sense.
Thats what my thoughts were, exactly.
I am not that happy with the name choice either but it seems to be regarded as blasphemy on here to say that. However, the IMPORTANT thing is that Baby Panda and Mom, Bai Yun, are happy and healthy, and that’s all that really matters.
That Too….Love Grammmie
Thank you San Diego zoo for sharing your very special ‘Little Gift’. I have been watching Xiao Liwu from his birth and it has been a wonderful experience. I look forward to seeing him grow. I am sending Xiao Liwu love and good wishes for a long healthy life.
Linda in England
St.Annes-On-The-Sea
Lancashire UK
Dear Gao Gao,
CONGRATULATIONS to you, Bai Yun and family. Little Cubby has a new name now but to me he is still LITTLE CUBBY or mini GAO YUN.
He is going to grow into a petite handsome Panda like you.
I did not vote because there was no Gao on the 6 names list. I thought Raindrop and Water Dragon would be the top 2.
GAO GAO, I love watching you in the exhibit area. Your beautiful BAI YUN is a marvellous and an excellent mum.
I am going to tell the good news to GAO XING and BAI XING, the 2 lovely swans that I named after you and BAI about little cubby’s new name.
I hope next spring they will have many cygnets, many LITTLE GAOS and many LITTLE BAIS.
TAKE CARE, GAO GAO
LOVE
CYNTHIA
Dear Cynthia, please blow a few kisses to the Swans from the Panda Lovers here in Southern California. We can hardly wait for you to come back to see our baby Panda again. If you get some photos of the Swans perhaps you can share them with us???? Love Grammmie
Dear Cynthia,
My Bai is special and its all thanks to her all the cubbies have turned out to be loving, good pandas. Yeah, little chubbers is a bit like me, maybe. Good things come in small packages, hey hey, thats what my Bai likes to say.
Our love to the swans. Nice to have them named after us and may they also have many babies.
Come over the pond and see us sometime.
Panda love,
Gao Gao
St.Annes-On-The-Sea
Lancashire UK
It is 11:21 am in UK (3:21 am in San Diego)
Cubby woke up in the middle of the night wiggling I quickly clicked the photograph. Mummy Bai was sleeping soundly with her body hunched forward. Her bum (Americans call it butt) was facing the entrance.
Cubby’s right arm was pinned under Bai Yun’s backside. I could tell Cubby was screaming “Mummy I am stuck!, Mummy I am stuck!”
11:23 am Bai Yun was sleeping like a log. Finally Cubby managed to pull out. “Phew! I managed to squeeze out” said Cubby. Cubby was scratching his left leg. He was so tired that he lay down on his left side licking his front paws and wiggling his legs. Perhaps his paw was numb after being under heavy Bai Yun.
I don’t understand why he squeezed his back under Bai Yun’s bum/leg again. Perhaps he was feeling cold. I quickly snapped the picture, Cubby was still wiggling.
11:34 am Bai Yun finally woke up, moved her position a little then fell asleep again, oblivious of what was going on.
11:35 am Cubby was still wiggling and was scratching his 2 feet this time.”Mummy I am still stuck!, Mummy I am still stuck!” screamed Cubby
11:38 am Cubby is still trying to break free wiggling his arms and legs this time.
“Help me Daddy Gao!, Help me Daddy Gao!”
11:40 am Bai Yun moved her body a bit, unaware of Cubby and continued her sleep. Finally Cubby was free and he turned over.
11:41 am I thought Cubby was going to crawl out of the den but then he decided to continue his sleep.
11:43 am Little Cubby is sleeping like a log now dreaming of all the excitement ahead.
GOOD NIGHT CUBBY & BAI YUN. SWEET DREAMS
A Beautiful and an Enthralling moment for me on a Wednesday morning.
Bai could write a book called “A Thousand Ways to Trap a Cub’s Paw’s”. She works at that.
Cynthia it might be a nightly ritual for them. It is 4:13a. m. Pac. Time Very early on Thursday, and I have seen much the same as you did but many hours later. At first I thought you must have posted while I had been reading and watching the bears on the little corner window I fixed myself so as not to miss anything…..but your comment had been moderated, and I was posting mine. Our Moderators do many things for us, but they do not stay up all night approving our posts. Love Grammmie
Xiao Liwu…wonderful name for a special little panda. He is a gift and a very appreciated one. I shall call him Liwu! Thanks, Pat
and when he gets BIG, I’ll call him XL. LOL
Um … has something happened to the live cam on mobile phones? Up until yesterday morning, it was fine on my Android phone … now it doesn’t come up. Is it my phone or something to do with the ‘mobile’ stream?
Moderator’s note: Are you still having viewing problems?
I’ve just listened to the pronounciation on mandarin tools, Xaio sounds like “Show” as in shower which may make it easier for those of us who speak English rather than Chinese.
I voted for Water Dragon but I like this name too.
I am glad the baby got a name, not the one I chose, but compared to his brothers and sisters, this one is so hard to say. I listened to the google translator, multiple times, and it is so hard to say. I think I will use “baby Li Wu” when I am talking about him. And when someone says, “huh”, I will then say, baby panda # 6. Even his mom and dad have easier names than his.
While this was not the name I had chosen, the cub is a little gift especially when I think back on what happened at the National Zoo.
Congratulations to the Gao family!
So glad our little gift finally has a name! It is quite appropriate that he be named this as it is most likely that he is the last little gift from our wonderful panda parents in San Diego.
Welcome Xiao Liwu!! You are the best little gift that I have seen in a long time!
Xiao Li Wu
Love the name! Thank you SDZ …I cant wait to visit you again.
Mods, I think you need to have the comment font looked at again. It’s coming out all italics. Unless you want to switch, fans are italic and mods are non-italic
Moderator’s note: It’s been corrected now. Thank you.
Our baby is truly a gift to both Bai and his extended family
I have been watching him since birth and seeing him reach milestones is truly inspiring. Yesterday he was quite active all alone and I thought he was almost going to go out by himself! He seems like he’s beginning to give Bai a toddler’s run 
Thank you for all the wonderful pictures, updates and care 
Loved your account of the ceremony Alyssa. Wish we could have been there but enjoyed the u screen coverage. We were trying to think where in the zoo the event happened. Perhaps someone might be able to tell us. Enjoyed chatting with you in October when we were visiting from Scotland.
Moderator’s note: The Naming Ceremony was in the Zoo’s Hunte Amphitheater, which is near the Giant Panda Research Station.
Baby WOOOOOOOO was sleeping hard last night! Must be all the excitement!
His nickname is very fun to say! Baby WOOOOOOOO! It makes me happy!
http://translate.google.com/#en/zh-CN/little
Click the link. It will take you directly to Google Translator for the word “Xiao” aka little that everyone is having problems with. Turn up your volume. Hit the Listen button on the far right (the one that looks like a speaker or volume icon). Listen and repeat after her. Practice
Chinese is a tonal language.
Oh, here’s the link for “Liwu”
http://translate.google.com/#en/zh-CN/gift
Put it together and you get “Xiao Liwu”
http://translate.google.com/#en/zh-CN/little%20gift
By George, I think I,ve got it now. I voted for brave son myself but I love this cub no matter what name he would’ve recieved. And now that I can say his name, I think I love him even more. Thanks for the links. It was a big help.
A perfect name for a perfect panda! No nicknames from me…his real name is just too perfect for him!
The last thing before I go to bed and the first thing when I wake up is to check out the panda cam to see what is happening in the den. I often see Bai Yun and Xiao Liwu cuddle together, sleeping (sometimes after a cleaning session). I never get tired of seeing these bonding moments between mother and son. So sweet!
Question: how long will this sleep-cuddle behavior last? Will they keep doing this as long as the cub is not weaned?
Moderator’s note: As long as they want it to.
I would very much like the Chinese symbols if u could for his name .
Moderator’s note: 小礼物
I’ve been voting for panda names since the zoo first started allowing us to participate in the process. (Was it Su Lin the first one for whom we were able to submit name suggestions?) I haven’t picked a winner yet. The bears all seem to grow to fit their names. To be honest, I don’t remember what my favorites were for the other pandas now.
No matter what name is chosen, the process is fun and enlightening. According to a Chinese-American friend of mine, Xiao Liwu is a cute name that is usually a nickname, but it is just fine for a panda.
I like J L, San Diego’s comment about how the name does pay some homage to Gao Gao. His is certainly a gift!
Thank you SDZG for your generosity in providing us so much information about pandas (and all the animals) and for allowing us all to participate in the naming process. It really is not something we should take for granted!
BTW – the ceremony was great and I LOVE my picture of Xiao Liwu!
Lisa, know the feeling of not picking the final name, although I did manage to get Yun Zi right. Been wrong on the others.
I look forward to reading the new nicknames that will come from the new name, Xiao Li Wu (that’s going to be tough) or Little Gift. I only came to the cam after Yun Zi was already weaned from Bai and am impressed with his long list of nicknames.
Early ideas: XL-Wu, Wu-hoo, Wu Wu, XXL, XLG (extra large Gao), big Wooster (cockadoodle dooo, sorry, could not resist)
Mo~~Thanks for the giggle…..love rammmie
It’s 2:20 est, and the cam is on Yun Zi eating some boo. Did I just see a worker put their hand through the fence and give Yun Zi a little scratching while he was leaning up against the fence and eating? Lucky worker!!!!
Pretty sure I aw that too but I wasn’t sure. Guess I’m not seeing things after all.
Jusy….I went to the pages you posted and uhhhhhhhh It sounds like Shall wee wee woo. lol Let me listen again, maybe is says Shall Lee Wee woo. lolol I love it either way.
OK, I’m practicing Little Gift’s Chinese name pronunciation. I went to the translate google site and listened many times; to me the pronunciation sounds like shawlee wooo with the heavy pronunciation on the shawl and the wooo very abrupt. So I’m going to do my best to think of him this way, and in time it should get easier for me!
Jusy why does Liwu sound like 3 words? It sounds like Lee Wee Woo. Did I hear it correct? This is so interesting. I think I heard it as She al Lee wee wu or Shall lee wee wu. Am I close? Thanks Jusy.
“Liwu” pronounced as Lee Woo is fine (only two words).
As for “Xiao”, I think “shawl” or “shall” both sound close enough, just roll your tongue a little less than you would for a regular “sh” sound – don’t know if that’s helpful?
(I’m a native Chinese speaker)
Wow, I am surprised to see an L and the end of “shawl” for Xiao….I would instinctively say it may be as “shaow” or “zhaow” or “chaow”, but in any case with no L…
In the end, I only wish to show the respect to the chosen name and the SDZ hardworking panda team and try learning its correct pronunciation…If someone, who knows firmly, would just confirm one correct way of saying it, I would follow and practice until I beat it in my head
It can not be rocket science
Moderator’s note: Watch the short video of the Naming Ceremony highlights and you’ll hear Ron Swaisgood, co-head of our Panda Team, say the name.
It could be the slight drop you hear at the end of woo.
Thank you Tanda, Fay and Jusy… this is so much help. I’ll get it with this kind of help.
You are welcome Beverly, I ask because I like to learn and I sure did get some wonderful help didn’t I? Glad you were here to share it with us.
You sure did!!! One really good thing for us up in age, not necessarily you Tanda… learning this pronunciation is VERY GOOD for the BRAIN. So I am not complaining about it, I want to keep my brain as young as I can for as long as I can, so bring it on!!! Besides, look at all the great help, wonderful.
Tanda! You’ve got a discerning ear! The reason you are hearing something like 2 syllables for “Li” is because the word is pronounced with a descending and then a rising tone or musical pitch. The word “Wu”, on the other hand, starts out with a high pitch and then the tone descends.
But if you pronounce the words quickly, some of the tones blend and disappear, hence Xiao Liwu can be reasonable rendered or pronounced like see-OW li-WOO.
Well I like the name just fine myself and I’m certainly not going to be saying it in English so it works for a cub and it works for an adult panda. I don’t find it hard to say at all. It just takes hearing it a few times to get it down right. Calling him Xiao or Liwu is just fine by itself too I’d say. I had voted for the Water Dragon as well but I’m fine with what was chosen. What it translates to in Engloish is not important really as far as what you say when calling him. You use the Chinese because he is Chinese. It sounds like a strong name in Chinese and I don’t think knowing that it means Little Gift in English should matter. The ceremony was very entertaining and I liked hearing the Consul General say that they’d work to see that Bai and Gao Gao spent the rest of their time with us and I hope he really meant that.
You know… I thought I heard the Consul General say that about Gao and Bai, but thought the excitement I was experiencing was fuzzing my little brain!! I wonder if our Moderator Debbie could enlighten us, please.
I am working on learning the correct way to say Xiao in chinese naturally, like I call Gao and Bai. I will just keep working on it. He is precious, so is his name Xiao Liwu.
I think it doesn’t really matter what I voted for, his name is Xiao Liwu.
Moderator’s note: Nothing has been decided yet.
Moderator… Will you let us know if and when it happens?
Moderator’s note: Of course!
I saw the video after the ceremony was over, and also thought he said something like what you guys heard, but since as I get older my hearring gets more lax, I also thought I must be mistaken. Let us hope that Bai Yun and Gao Gao can spend their retirement years with us……and that everybody who heard what sounded like a hint is correct…Love grammmie
I think he was very careful but there was a hint there. I wondered if he was dropping hints to see how it would be received. For correct pronunciation of Xiao Li Wu, listen to how he says it in his speech. And as P Wong suggests above it is SEE-OW (said quickly) LI (LEE) WOO.
Think I’ll just call him “Charlie”. He needs an English nick name while he is here.
Yep! I thought about Lee Woo and now I am thinking just Wooee. Baby Wooee. I would love to hear what the Zoo staff will call him when we can’t hear! Formal given names for babies usually get shortened to something more endearing. Like Robert Joseph is “Bobby Joe” or Delilah Margarita might be shortened to “Del-Mar.” “Maggie” is good, too! Just plain “Joe” is great!. My nick name is Sue, a boy named Sue, although I am not a boy. Thanks, Johnny Cash for ruining a perfectly good name!
Ha ha, after I heard the google translate sound like Shawlee wooo I thought about Charlie too!!!!!!!
Sounds good to me.
I came across this page while trying to get to the pandacam on my andrioid phone: http://www.sandiegozoo.org/pandacam/panda_cub_milestones.html. It is very interesting to see all the SDZ cub’s development milestones listed together. Now that #6 has been named, and has a beautiful picture of his own, would it be possible to have Xiao Liwu’s milestones added to that page?
What a bundle of joy giant panda’s are! Thanks for all your hard work SDZ & China!
Very cool chart. I was wondering how each cub progressed as compared to their siblings. It will be interesting to see baby Xiao on this list now too.
Never saw this page before. Would certainly be interesting to see Xiao Liwu’s development milestones added.
hello zoo staff…congats on such an amazing job you are all doing in your zoo….just a question….does yun zi not like his new sing….or do i have the wrong panda as i am new here and totally addicted to your wonderful sandiegozoo site. love it
And why does he sort of “throw himself” down on the ground just behind it, near the gate? Is he just being a goofy little guy? It seemed like he did it repeatedly, esp with the flat brown swing. I saw some older footage of zhen zhen maybe, who rolled onto her back epeatedly when she saw her sister at the howdy gate. Thanks for sharing your expertise. This is such a sweet family!
Boy being a boy rolling on the ground. He could be practicing his Kung fu moves or practicing drop and roll in case of fire. When we see a puddle, some will walk around it and some will stomp in it
When you get a chance, you should watch Mei Xiang at Natl Zoo do her dance to get keepers attention.
Even better than just her doing the “Stevie”, the name of her door dance, would be if somebody comes up with the link to the time she was doing it, Tai Shan still a youngster, used her body to get up to AND THROUGH the window at the top of the door. She does her door routine the same way that Bai does her “power walk” before meals. And you were not sure Pandas could tell time! Love Grammme
Are the Nanny Keepers covered in Cinnamon or Men’s Cologne or Pine Shavings… or HONEY?!
I want to grow up to be a Panda Nanny Keeper!!!
All hail Xiao Liwu! What an appropriate name for Bai Yun’s little guy. He has indeed been a “Little Gift” to all of us who have watched his development from Day 1 on the San Diego Zoo’s Panda Cam. Since I couldn’t be there in person, the next best thing was watching video of the naming ceremony. I can’t wait to see video of Xiao’s first day exploring the Giant Panda outdoor exhibit. I remember watching Su Lin’s first foray outdoors. Congrats to the SDZ for a wonderful naming ceremony and for picking a great name for a great cub!
I think “little gift” will be just fine for a grown man panda. Especially when the use him to breed. The keepers can tell his mate “We have a little gift for you!”
Did you hear me laugh out loud at that remark?
Ha ha ha, loved it !!!!!!
Let’s just hope he gives his little gift as many times as possible in his manhood. He is so ADORABLE, smart and strong! We need a dozen of him, at least!
The count is at least 3 now. The only problem is that SHE does the choosing. They surround her with 2 or 3 possible mates and she lets them know who she likes the best. When I was explaining to my older sister that the female is the one who decideds who, when and if, she said that is the way it should be for all species.
Jenny that is sooo funny, I needed a good laugh. lol Thanks.
This morning, like most mornings, Bai Yun fluffed up the bamboo. Xiao Liwu, as is usual, got caught up in the fluffing. With the great camera angle, we could see how he “landed” outside the den.
2012-11-14 Xiao Liwu Flees Flying Bamboo (1.65x speed)
http://youtu.be/TvP-MOIvao8
As always, thank you Panda Team, Moderator and the SDZ for all that you do. Thoroughly enjoy watching Bai Yun raise another cub, and seeing Yun Zi as a teenager.
Couldn’t help but laugh out loud at this video. I don’t think I’ve seen the boo fluffed quit that much before. Bai had a mountain of it.
Thank you so much for providing us with these priceless videos. As for this episode, I’d have gotten out of the way too!
I always find it interesting when Bai Yun fluffs up the den, finds a sweet smelling bamboo and stops fluffing to nibble on it.
Poor woo, being buried alive
Thank you Doxie Mom, your the best!
WOW, I think that was the biggest fluff job yet!!! That was so funny, poor baby Xiao must be puzzled at what is going on, sure he thinks his den was just fine.
I may have to be more careful who I send House Beautiful subscription to next year!
D~Mom another worthy viewing. I watched Yun Zi as a baby much the same way that I observe Xiao Liwu through a small window so as not to miss the action…..but I never caught sight of Bai Yun doing so much cleanng as she is now. It makes me wonder at her motivation, and if she treated the 4 sibs before Yun Zi the same way….love grammmie
Hi, Doxie! I just watched your video of Bai and Xiao in the den, and Bai doing her house cleaning. That was soooo funny watching Bai move all of that boo around in the den, and little Xiao trying his best to get out of the den to get away from that pile of boo! He managed to do that twice, and twice momma pulls him back inside the den! Bai’s a crazy cleaning machine, but she wants to make sure that her den is nice and clean for her and her little boy! Loved it!!
Chari
a rose is a rose, ect, and any name might fit, but, this is a difficult name to pronounce for us americans, however it is what is is.
woo woo is for me.
hugs to the bears,
joan
Just have to say that I was completely caught off guard during the naming ceremony. I cried like a little girl… I got so choked up like it was for my own child! Such a proud moment and having everyone talking about Xaio Liwu! Thank you so much SDZ for making this possible. In this day and age, it seems the littlest thing can make a person happy. I’ve been trying to spread the word about our little chubby cubby and especially the zoo. I know it will make someone else’s day a little brighter and happier! Sending my love to Xaio Liwu and all his family and my deepest thank you to all at SDZ!!
love the name,thats why I voted for it.He is a gift.
For all that think this name “Xiao Liwu” is not appropriate for a large male panda, first of all “Little Gift”, is the meaning of his name. Does anyone visiting call Gao Gao, “Tall Tall” or “Big Big”, or refer to Bai Yun as “White Cloud” when we see them…. no. We call them by their Chinese names, and Cubby will also be called by his Chinese name Xiao Liwu, which IMO is wonderful!
well said Debbie.
it is 6:20pm cst. Some one is giving mom a fit right now! XIAO LIWU is slapping mom in face with his little tiny paw! LOL He was trying to get out of the den.
I will refer to him as Woo until he matures. As a child, Woo, seems to fit.
Just a clean simple sound.
Plus he is on the snall size so perhaps he takes after his father.
I do think folks still refer to Yun Zi as Yunnie. He is now 3 and will probably be leaving the zoo pretty sooner than later.
One cub moves outside and due to the amount of exhibits, the older cub moves to an new away home.
Yun zi is my first cub and I shall miss him. I think I am attached to him because I had a chance watch his first steps outside the den and could follow him more than Woo has been shown.
No Mom or baby on the cam right now. Where are they?
We’re voting for pronunciation of “shall lee woo”. Easy to say.
When the Consul first said the name at the ceremony, I thought he said it like SalleeWoo. Reminded me of a girl named Sally.
MESSAGE FROM XIAO LIWU TO HIS FANS:
“Tank ‘oo for votin’ on my name. I wike it berry much. I was hopin’ for a name wike “Buster” or “Fang” tuz doze awe weal manly names, but Woo Woo is dood, too!”
Folks, do not fuss over the word, ;xiao’ (little) in the new cub’s chosen name.
When he will be old enought, to be sent back to China (as per lease agreement); Chinese keepers in Sichuan could change it to ‘Da’ (big), or simply rename him altogether as they see fit.
Hi everyone and greetings from Australia – I have only just caught up with the naming ceremony ( I am thrilled as this is the name I voted for). I send to you all warm greetings from wang Wang and Funi. i attended the celebration for 30 years of volunteering at Adelaide Zoo last night in the panda area so we were able to mingle and get up quite close to both pandas ( behind glass) who happily munched on bamboo. I told them all about “little gift” and how wonderful it would be if they were able to become parents very soon – so fingers crossed. Cheers
Jan
Jan, hope that Adelaide will have its own “little gift” in the coming year.
Thank all of you that helped me learn how to say Xiao Liwu. We will be calling him by his Chinese name like Debbie from Pa pointed out. It is agood name.
Bai: G’nite baby, I love Wu.
XLW: I love Wu too.
during Ron Swaisgood’s speech and I think also in the Panda edition ZooNooz, there was mention of a procedure used to enhance panda reproduction by strengthening the scent for attraction (and decreasing the scent communication for aggression). is there an existing blog where I could read more about how that works? thank you.
Moderator’s note: Your question has been forwarded to Ron.
At breakfast after the Naming Ceremony, the Gao family gathered round the table. As part of the Panda Naming Ritual, the baby gets to sit at the table to eat a bowl of auspicious bamboo dumplings in a syrup. This is to ensure his life will be sweet and long.
After he had eaten, his siblings prayed for him as he was passed from Hua Mei to Yun Zi. Xiao LiWu hugged each one as he was so excited at seeing all his siblings. Su Lin teared as he reminded her of her baby. Yun Zi told Chubbers that his niece Hao Hao sent her love.
‘WOW I have nieces and nephews. I am a BIG boy!’ he yelled.
Bai Yun scooped him up and made him look her in the eyes. ‘You will behave! Now I want you to sit down as Papa and Mama prays for you. OK?’
‘Yes, Mama’ replied the subdued baby.
‘Dear Panda God, Bai and I thank you for giving us a healthy baby. We dedicate him to his people and may he help spread the message of conservation and be a bridge between hoomans and pandas. Please help us to raise him up healthy and wise. Thank you, God. Amen.’
When baby opened his eyes, he looked round and he smiled,’Mama, Papa, Ge Ges and Jie Jies, I will be a good boy, pwomise and I pwomise to do my best.’
Hua Mei scritches his head and ears and he soon is giggling away. His siblings all take turns playing with him. Sheng looks at Yunnie,’Hey bro, when you come to China, I’ve got some girls to introduce to you. They have seen you on the Panda Cam and have asked me to introduce you. Chinese ladies are sweet and sooo giggly,’ Yunnie blushed. He still had a friendship going with a former Miss Panda Universe though she was a bit older. ‘I’m too young,’ murmured Yunior.
‘Everybody, come into the living room. There is a video SDZ did of Chubbers’ 100 days. Let’s watch. And then there is some from Pawsie Mama,’ summons Mama.
Summary: Chinese speakers do not think highly of the name, in the same way English speakers think of the name Oreo. I’m a native Chinese speaker…
That aside, I like giant pandas, and donated all of my piggy bank savings towards panda rescue while a school kid in China. So I don’t care at all whether they are named Xiao Li Wu or Oreo or Putin or Musashi — giant pandas needn’t a universally liked name to be universally admired. To that end, maybe the next creative step is just to pick a cute English name for a future cub at SDZ… just as I’m overseas Chinese, all cubs born in the States are overseas pandas, that they have the right to be named in English, although still Chinese citizen
I contacted Tai Shan in Bifengxia to tell him about his little cuzzin’s new name, and asked him how to properly say the name, as the only one I have known with the name Xiao westernized his name and goes by Joe. da Sooperpanna, who sometimes has a little problem with pronunciations due to his fangs, immediately told me that I should call Xiao Liwu “Joey Woo”! So there you have it from the mouth of da Sooperpanna himself, Now Bai Yun’s youngest not only has his official name, but a new nickname as well
Awwww, love it. I miss da Sooperpanna
Thank you DoxieMom for the flying bamboo video!
I’ve noticed Bai Yun often fluffing up the bamboos in the morning too. Do we know why she does it? Is this a panda’s version of “making her bed”?
hello xiao liwu – its great that you now have a name.
‘Wu Wu, where are you?’ whispers Bai Yun as she wades through the boo in the den. Xiao LiWu was hiding under a stack. As his Mama approached he reached out and grabbed her snout and gave her a kiss, ‘MAMA, I am here! I am your li wu wu wu!’
Mama and cubby cuddle as he settles on her belly. He loved being held. ‘Mama, I wike my name. I feel so special. I also wike my pand name Yong Ern. I am brave! Yeah and I will be gwa…gwa…’
‘Gracious?’
‘Yeah, gwasius, hee hee. Mama, why can’t all the Ge Ges and Jie Jies live at home with us?’
‘I dont think SDZ can look after 8 pandas and their families. JIe JIe Hua Mei has 8 children and Jie Jie Su Lin has one. Soon I am sure Ge Ge Sheng will have a wife…’
‘WOW! Our family is big.’
‘And you must also consider our relatives. Mama has brothers and sisters. You have cousins all over the world including Thailand.’
‘Yes, Jie Jie Ping is sooooo cute and sweet. She sent me an ellie stuffie. I wike it sooooo much. Mama, can we go visit all our rellies?’
‘Maybe. We’ll see.’
‘Mama, I made up a song. Can I sing for you?’
‘Sure, darling.’
‘OK, OK. Hee Hee, here goes:
‘I am a xiao liwu, xiao xiao de liwoooooo
I am full of love for yoooooou
I know Mama and Papa love meeeee
And babee wants to beeeee
A liwoooooo full of looooooove!’
And Chubbers managed to wriggle his little butt. Mama just laughed and laughed, ‘Gao Gao was right. He is quite a charmer.’
It’s 9:17am est and Bai has Little Gift in such a bear hug!!! Pun intended. Have to go back and see how he gets out of this one
Watching our “little gift” crawling all around the den this morning! I think she got herself out and back in! What a great way to start the day.
I can pronounce it, but am really curious as to what his keepers call him when they are with him? The whole name is a bit long, and perhaps out of 35k votes something got missed, but he is their bear and can choose ny name they want.
7.15 a.m. The little guy is standing up on his hind legs as he explores the walls of the den! Bai has blocked the exit w huge pile of bamboo.
It’s 10;20 EST time. Just tuned into cubbie and it looks like he’s trying to CLIMB the den walls. He must be getting lessons from Yunnie.
First of all I am a big bear freak and have bears all over my house only wish I could have a live one LOL. I have watched this little guy from day one and love every second of watching what a good mom he has and how she takes care of him as well as disciplining our “Little Gift” I do worry that she is a little rough, but do know that mom surely knows best. I love him so much that my computer is by my recliner & I watch the panda cam more hours than I care to tell.
I thank all of you care takers for the wonderful job you are doing at the Zoo. You guys are so lucky. Think I missed my calling. I used to live on the west coast and made many trips to your Zoo and always spent most of my time at the panda exhibit.
QUICK, QUICK, HURRY!
I think one of your outside pandas is eating a piece of painted wood. Tearing it apart and eating it. It looks just like one side of a fence post.
Please, PLEASE, check this out quickly!
Thank you!
Moderator’s note: Thank you for your concern. Keepers assure me that all is well with both Yun Zi and Gao Gao. There is no painted wood within grabbing distance, so most likely it was bamboo.
I’m sorry but this made me laugh out loud. SDZ has a thousand eyes looking out for our dear pandas.
Oh, I am SOOO relieved that they are okay. When I saw the panda eating it, I didn’t see it grab what looked like the post (covering?). It was already in his hands and he was ripping it down. But it did look the same color as the fence post cover and I was so alarmed he might be ingesting wood/paint/splinters. It was flat and dark colored on one side only; the other side was a plain, light color. I thought a bad tourist had tossed it in the enclosure.
I apologize for the false alarm. I really do. But I was worried. Sorry, Jane
Moderator’s note: It’s okay, Jane. And remember, there is always a panda narrator at the outside exhibits to make sure guests keep their voices down and treat the pandas with respect. If anything was amiss, the narrator would immediately alert the Panda Team.
And a culprit would never get away either….the rest of the fans would make sure they stayed put long enough to explain themselves!
Exam today on Xiao Liwu?
Moderator’s note: Yes. We hope to have video, blog, photos posted later today.
Love the little cutie no matter what he’s called or how people pronounce it. Just lucky and glad to be able to witness him as he grows from a tiny cubbie to a handsome young panda-man like Yun Zi.
Did Xiao Li Wu have an exam today? Even though I’m very grateful for the exam compilation video posted earlier this week, would love to see some new footage!
Bai wanted to sleep and Liwu wants to play! Be careful what you wish for little one! It’s the spin cycle for YOUUUUU! hehe
Thank you, Moderator, you are very kind. I’m in PA, unable to travel, and will probably never get closer to all the wonderful creatures in the Park than this computer monitor. I am happy to learn there are narrators at the exhibits to watch over them. I appreciate this opportunity to ‘visit’ them every day.
MariJane
Been on the pandacam off and on over the last 30 minutes, and I watched little Xiao slapping his mom’s snout and just playing with her while Bai just laid there and gave him kisses. I just got on the cam again, and Xiao is by himself taking a nap in the den with all 4s under him! That is soooo cute!!
I gave up on Memphis Zoo giving any info about Ya Ya, and whether she did get pregnant or not. I will keep checking the website for any news about Ya Ya and Le Le.
Not much else right now. Gonna get back on the pandacam later on, but going to get some dinner!
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
This is a lovely name………..On another note, for a keeper: Why does Bai Yun dig in the straw. At this time, she also has a piece of bamboo, which keeps striking the baby. Is she just trying to find a place to place her head? thank you.
Moderator’s note: Bai Yun frequently rearranges and refreshes the bamboo in the den. She uses it for eating and for padding–no straw needed. It gets flattened and dirty, so she fluffs and replaces as she sees fit.
Thank you so much. I am so impressed with the blogs and moderators.
This is too cute!! Little Woo is kissing his reflection in the den!
what a treat i got today. i got to see Xiao Liwu moving around the den and rolloing out of the den a few times until he finally got mom to get up and go out with him. first time i have seen him move around so much.
She even stayed in the den while he went out for a few minutes. He must have stayed close to the doorway, since she went out of shot for only a moment when she decided he had been gone long enough. This was early morning.
Just love Gao Gao, he’s sound asleep and looks like he has fuzzy slippers and gloves on.
Exactly right! We don’t even have to look for the left ear…
Ok panda fans, what’s the word on little XLW’s nickname? Yun Zi got some get ones – Yunior, Yunnie, and let’s not forget Mr. mcAwesomesauce.
What do you think about Xiao Xiao? It kinda rhymes with GAO GAO. I must admit I’m a sucker for the double names like Zhen Zhen. We didn’t get a double name in the six choices and that made me kinda sad. Don’t get me wrong the people have spoken and I’m very happy with the young’s new name but what do you think about giving him an affectionate nickname?
I love our “little gift”! i peeked in today from work and was mesmerized watching bai with the little guy laying on her chest sleeping, they were cuddling so cute and it was adorable. She is the best mom ever. I wish people were like her, so caring and teaching him with her playing. I wish cams were in the other rooms but it is nice to see yunior and gao on cam.
I am curious moderator, I see Bai Yun take cat naps and then get up and go eat, do these bears ever sleep for a long period of time overnight like people do or do they just catnap and eat? She never seems to sleep for more than 20 minutes or so.
Moderator’s note: A panda mother doesn’t get much sleep, but “rest” assured that Gao Gao and Yun Zi do.
I just got this from another Panda Loving group, and thought it might give our Little Gift something more to Wooo, Woooo, Woooo, Wooo about. There is a release saying that the oldes known Panda Fossils have been found, not in Asia, but Spain, on the Iberrian Peninsula. They are thought to be twice as old as the oldest fossils found so far in China…..here is the link….
www (dot) pawnation.com/2012/11/15/oldest-panda-fossils-found-in-surprising-place-spain/
I always wondered why a bear dependent on Bamboo be restricted to only one of the areas that it is known to thrive in.
Just below story is a set of 12 Panda Photos~some you may have seen, but I swear 11 looks like Yun Zi, and 12 like one of the Washington D.C. Pandas, or another well known photo. Please tell me if I am right about Yun Zi.
grammie, If you look on CNN they have the full story about this Pretty interesting story
thank you so much Barbara.
Barbara, try as I might I could not figure out where to find the CNN Thing…..there were 7,000+ to look at, but the first page really didn’t give anything like the stuff from the article, so I decided to ask if you happen to have a link you could share, or instuctions on how to get to where I need to go. Thank you ….Love greammmie
Grammie
it’s www (dot) cnn.com/us/ scroll down towards the bottom you will see a picture of the the panda story. It’s still there today
Barbara
I kept trying, and finally succeded~I forgot to put the word GIANT in Panda, that made a big difference. I do that a lot. I have a link for anybody needing it. Love Grammmie
latino (dot) foxnews (dot) com/latino/news/2012/11/16/giant-panda-fossils-found-spain/
to repair the link simply remove and blank spaces and (dot) and put a Period or “.” in it’ place. Dot in computer seak is a period.
Several times the past few days when I check the Panda Cam Bai Yun is holding Lil’ Woo with her arm while they sleep together. So sweet. I have tried to send myself a postcard of these times but I can’t seem to open it when it gets into my email.
Moderator’s note: Does it open if you send it to a friend’s e-mail?
I know little of the ins and outs of running any computer program but the one I am on, and I am no expert~~however there are friends on this blog who will help you. I can only tell you that when I send one to my email and “read” the email like any other it is just open. It does, however make reading what I wrote a challenge~~I sometimes must highlight the worrds to see them. Can someone give Lilarose a hand with her problem???
The main issue is the format of the file to download.
Look for something like this in the email just under “To:” :
3 Files View Slideshow Download All
CZPostcardHEZXUT (493KB); sdzooLogo.jpg (5KB); wideBanner.jpg (10KB)
Click on: CZPostcardHEZXUT (size may be different), remember this name; it should go to download and put it on the desktop. Then double click on it to open it OR Open a photo viewing program Adobe Reader or Preview, then select Open from the Edit menu, locate, then select the file. It may ask you to open it in a different format such as PDF, it is ok, click yes, it will open then, then do a Save As in the File menu, select format, such as PDF and location, then save it. You shouldn’t have any more issues with that file.
‘Son, come sit with Papa,’ asks Gao Gao as Xiao LiWu comes to him with his morning cup of boo tea. Gao Gao scrtiches XLW’s head. XLW looks wide-eyed at his papa. He was a little in awe of him.
‘Tell Papa how you are,’ encourages GG.
‘Papa, I am sooo happy. The Ge Ges are so cool and my sissies are so fun. Jie Jie Zhennie took me twee climbing. It was soooo sooo wonderful to see so many things out there. Papa I love you.’
Gao Gao looks down at his little one. He was still astonished by the miracle of birth. Xiao Li Wu climbs up on his lap and leans back against his Papa.
‘Papa, will you teach me about boo?’ asks Wu as he picks up a bamboo shoot.
‘Hey, that’s what Papas are for. I would love to teach you, boy. When you are off milk, Papa wll show you how to choose boo, strip it and where to find the juicy bits.’
Gao Gao hugs his son who plants a kiss on his Papa’s cheek.
Bai Yun enters the family room. She tells Wu, ‘The Ge Ges and Jie Jies are getting the BBQ ready for tonight. Why don’t you go and help them?’
‘OK,’ and Xiao Li Wu waddles off to join his siblings.
Bai Yun sits with Gao Gao and they munch some boo together.
‘Girl, thank you for a lovely family.’
‘And you have been an incredible sire.’
‘To more good years together!’
‘To more good years.’
And a very furry brown paw reaches out to hold a nice warm paw.
Oh Yun Zi….did I ever tell you that you are my first and favorite Panda???? I love all of you, but you were the first Panda baby I saw born and den raised. You had many things you were good at, but I am sure each of your brothers and sisters were good at their special things. I have never figured out how sister ZZ was able to hang by her toes in the tree tops, and then Play or Excercise. Thank you for leltting Auntie Lucilla help you with writing your stories. It is nice to get a Panda point of view….Love grammmie
when I went to bed late last night Bai was sleeping outside the nest blocking the nest exit and xiao liwu was sleeping inside. I just looked this am and Liwu is still inside and Bai is outside with the exit available. Maybe Bai is ready to leave the nest but baby is not? And why should he, it looks pretty comfy in there!
Good Morning, It’s 10:50 am est, and Xiao Liwu is fast asleep without Bai. She did her early morning housekeeping at 7:30 my time so she must be out and about
According to Hallmark, today is “National Have A Party With Your Bear Day”!!!! I hope all of you at SDZ have special plans for today and that you will share them with us. PARTY ON!!!
Everybody go to your local oo and get a bear. I get two since Ii am rushing to get Bai Yun and Little Wooo. I must tell you the Pandas go fast so giddy~uppppp.
There is yet another new cam shot of the den. It’s helpful to see all of these shots. This one seems really good. Is that a door at the back of the den?
Moderator’s note: Yes, it’s a small access door for the keepers.
Watching Xiao Liwu snuggled up in the den sleeping. I have not seen him as much in the den so when he does show up, you really notice how much he has grown in the past few weeks! He is so adorable!!
Question: Have all of the panda cubs struggled with managing the step down from the den?
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