Secretary for Culture, Sports & Tourism Rosanna Law today revealed that the first pair of giant panda twin cubs born in Hong Kong have been officially named Jia Jia and De De.

The names were selected as the winning entries out of more than 35,700 submissions to a naming competition organised by the Culture, Sports & Tourism Bureau and the Ocean Park Corporation.

The judging panel considered the names to be full of meaning. Jia Jia is female and the elder of the twins, with the Chinese character for “Jia” indicating “support”.

Sharing the same pronunciation as the Chinese characters for “home” and “auspices” in both Cantonese and Putonghua, “Jia” also carries an element of family and a sense of auspicious grace, signifying the prosperity of families and the nation as well as the happiness of its people.

As for De De, Jia Jia’s little brother, the Chinese character De means “to succeed”, with the name conveying a sense of success for Hong Kong.

De also shares the same pronunciation as the Chinese character for “virtue” in both Cantonese and Putonghua, which implies that the pandas, as national treasures, possess the virtues cherished by the Chinese people.

Speaking at an unveiling event held at Ocean Park, Miss Law, who chaired the competition’s judging panel, thanked the Central People’s Government on behalf of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Government for the former’s ongoing support and guidance on the conservation of giant pandas.

“Over the years, under the central government’s guidance, the Hong Kong SAR has been given the opportunity to participate in the important task of national giant panda conservation. This fully demonstrates the central government’s support and care for the Hong Kong SAR.”