Meet Xiao Qi Ji! The National Zoo’s giant panda cub officially has a name. The zoo on Monday revealed the 3-month-old cub’s name, following a public voting period last week.
The name Xiao Qi Ji (pronounced SHIAU-chi-ji) translates to “little miracle” in English, the zoo said.
“Giant pandas are an international symbol of endangered wildlife and hope, and Xiao Qi Ji’s birth offered the world a much-needed moment of joy amidst the COVID-19 pandemic,” the zoo said on its website. “His name reflects the extraordinary circumstances under which he was born and celebrates the collaboration between colleagues who strive to conserve this species.”
The other choices were:
Fu Zai (pronouned fu-tzai; Mandarin Chinese for “prosperous boy”)
Xing Fu (pronouned shing-fu; Mandarin Chinese for “happy and prosperous”)
Zai Zai (pronouned tzai-tzai; Mandarin Chinese nickname for a boy)
People were able to vote for their favorite name once per day from last Monday through Friday.
