The giant panda that was born at the beginning of May in the Ouwehands Zoo in Rhenen is definitively named after the Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh. The panda has been given the name Fan Xing. It is a gender-neutral name, as the sex of the young is not yet clear.
Fan Xing refers to the world famous painting The Starry Night from Van Gogh. The first part of the name also refers to the painter himself (Fan Gao means Van Gogh in Chinese), while Xing hints at the boy’s father, Xing Ya.
According to Chinese traditions, a name for the baby panda had to be chosen within a hundred days. Because the young was born on May 1, this week had to be decided.
The zoo let the public decide on the name. Four other names had been drawn up, each of which had a link to the Netherlands in some way: Xing He, He Shun, Dan Qing and He Kang. According to Ouwehands Zoo, more than 22,000 people have voted.
Fan Xing may stay in the Netherlands for a maximum of four years. The young was born after the mating of Wu Wen and Xing Ya, giant pandas borrowed by the Netherlands from China. The panda parents can stay in the Netherlands until 2032, but any young ones belong to China.
For the time being Wu Wen and her cub will remain in the maternity den, where the panda baby learns to walk. Interested parties have been able to follow the upbringing of the giant panda via a live stream since last week. Presumably in October, the first visitors to the zoo will be able to catch a first real glimpse of the young.
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