Hua Hua (giant panda)

He Hua, most commonly known as Hua Hua is a female giant panda who was born at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Chengdu, Sichuan, on July 4, 2020. She is considered one of China's "celebrity pandas", with her gaining popularity online due to her distinct appearance and gentle personality.

Life
Hua Hua and her twin sister, He Ye, were born on July 4, 2020, to Cheng Gong and Mei Lan. Due to their mother's age (having given birth at 20 years old), the two cubs were fostered by other pandas alongside their own cubs. She is currently displayed at the Chengdu Panda Base. Hua Hua suffers from developmental disabilities, and as a result she is significantly smaller and weaker than other pandas her age, and struggles to do activities such as climb trees.

Popularity
Hua Hua gained popularity amongst netizens for her distinct appearance and gentle personality. Her small, round appearance, distinct eye circles, and snow white fur compared to other pandas, as well as her tendency to allow other pandas in the base to steal her food, has sparked sympathy and interest within internet users. People have compared her appearance to that of an onigiri. On the blogging platform Weibo, Hua Hua's hashtag has garnered nearly 1.6 billion engagements, a dedicated "super discussion" group about her on Chinese social media has 670,000 members, and individual videos about her on TikTok have garnered 2.6 million views. She has become known as one of China's "celebrity pandas", being given the honorary position of Director of Chengdu Culture and Tourism Bureau, and even being featured as a "guest" for the 2024 Spring Festival Gala.

Hua Hua's popularity has caused increased amounts of tourism to the Chengdu Panda Base, with tourists lining up half an hour before the base opens and waiting for hours simply to get a glimpse of her in her exhibit. The resulting "panda mania" has caused hotel bookings nearby to increase 3.2 times compared to the previous year, as well as increasing popularity of panda-related souvenirs such as panda dolls, headbands, and backpacks. Hua Hua has proven to be so popular among internet users and tourists that the Chengdu Panda base was forced to restrict visitor entry due to the sheer amount of visitors.