By Chuan-X Panda
Updated: June 14, 2025 17:00 PM
1. He Hua Panda Booms The Panda Tourism Economy Since 2023
He Hua Panda, also called "Hua Hua", is the "top female celebrity" in the panda community, and has revealed the booming panda economy with her astonishing abilities. The boom of the panda economy is mainly reflected in the panda tourist attractions, cultural and creative panda industry, and even urban tourism consumption in Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
It is reported that the ticket sales of the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding increased by 9 times year-on-year. According to data from the Sichuan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, during the May Day holiday, 264, 000 tourists visited the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding to see Hehua Panda, making the Chengdu Panda Base the second of the top ten popular tourist attractions in China. Travel Agency Platform estimates that the annual ticket revenue of the base is expected to exceed 130 million yuan (18.5 million dollars).
At the entrance of the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base
Besides the Chengdu Panda Base to visit, there are more and more He Hua panda’s crafts and arts, including the magazine “He Hua Panda”, He Hua panda’s wallpapers, He Hua panda’s plushies. Some people lined up for it, some wrote books for it, and some hand painted a portrait of it, which appeared on the Times Square screen in New York. On social platforms such as Weibo, Tiktok and Rednote, "He Hua Panda lovers" can be seen everywhere editing videos, making memes and publishing photos of panda He Hua.
He Hua panda's cultural craft
He Hua Pandas adds heat to Chengdu——"City of Pandas". According to data from the travel website Qunar platform, the number of flight reservations to Chengdu in March 2023 increased by 20% compared to before the pandemic (2019), and Buying a ticket to the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base in Sichuan for RMB 50 ( USD 8) can drive local transportation, accommodation, and other expenses by RMB 1450 (USD 210). With He Hua Panda‘s attraction, Hehua has driven the development of Chengdu's "panda economy".
In addition to the popularity of the He Hua in China, it is also very famous and widely followed by panda lovers around the world. It has a large number of followers on social media platforms such as Tiktok, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube. At the 2024 Spring Festival Gala of the the Year of the Loong in China, the representative of He Hua panda, He Hua panda plush, appeared on the stage, and together with famous performers, they sent New Year greetings to people around the world on behalf of China. Now, she has become the crown jewel of the Chengdu Panda Base.
2. General Introduction
"He Hua" panda is a female panda. Her nicknames include "Hua Hua" and "Guolai", “Hua Hua” means “Flower”, “Guolai” means "coming" in Chinese. Hua Hua was born on July 4, 2020, together with her twin sister He Ye, in the Moon Delivery Room of the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. She weighed 200 grams at birth. Her mother is Cheng Gong, known as the "Princess Mysophobia", and her father is a returned giant panda named Mei Lan.
In 2023, He Hua became a panda top star on Chinese social platforms. She caused panda craze on multiple social platforms and became the "top female star in the panda community", and her news has been trending many times on social platforms.
On April 25, 2024, Chengdu Tourism Bureau announced that "He Hua, female, 3 years and 9 months old, is now appointed as the Honorary Director of Chengdu Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau." Congratulations to our He Hua Panda for her new title and excellent resume.
3. He Hua Panda's Appearance
Why He Hua is so beautiful? How to distinguish He Hua and others panda bears? We can differentiate them from the aspects below.
Feet: When young, there are white foot rings on the feet of Hua Hua panda, which become faintly visible as they grow up; The white hair on the right foot sole becomes more prominent.
Eyes: For panda He Hua's eyes, black circles are wide on the top and narrow on the bottom. While, most pandas have narrow tops and wide bottoms in general.
Nose: Short nose, it's a bit like some dogs. He Ye Panda and other pandas' noses are slightly longer, making them appear more aggressive. However, the black part of He Hua panda's nose is also not very large, making her look very beautiful and cutie.
Noses Differences Between Hehua Panda and He Ye Panda
Hair: He Hua panda has longer hair, which appears to be messy when young, but as she grow up, her fluffy hair makes herself more round and chubby compared with other panda bears, which makes her more adorable.
Head: He Hua Panda has a round and cartoonish head.
Neck: Short neck, it seems to have no neck from a distance.The whole body appears even shorter and chubby.
Ears: Hua Hua has short round ears, resembling two balls. Other pandas have longer ears.
The diffences of ears between He Hua panda and other pandas
4. Reasons for Being Loved
First, the reason why panda lovers like her is that her distinctive appearance makes her easily recognized among many pandas. He Hua is relatively small, round and chubby, and her head is almost integrated with her body, seems to no neck, which gives her a very cute look. Compared to other peer pandas, her fur color is pure white, adding to her uniqueness.
Second, the video of He Hua peeling bamboo shoots was posted on social media also gained her a lot of attention. In the video, her peeled bamboo shoots were always snatched away by other peers, and her helpless expression aroused the affection and compassion of many netizens. In addition, she also stubbornly stopped her twin sister panda He Ye from snatching apples, showing her full smartness and gentleness.
Panda He Hua stopped her sister He Ye from snatching apples
Third, in addition to her beautiful appearance, Hua Hua is also loved for her docile and affectionate personality. She is one of the pandas that can be seen up close after she is two years old. She is also good at "working" and can actively cooperate with tourists to take photos. More possitive interactions between Hua Hua and visitors attract more panda lovers to get close to her.
5. About Hehua Panda's Family Members
Panda He Hua's family members include father Panda Meilan, mother Panda Chenggong, and brothers and sisters, including twin sisters Panda Heye, eldest brother Panda Gongzai, second sister Panda Heqi, third sister Panda Hemei, fourth brother Panda Hexing, fifth brother Panda Hesheng, and sixth brother Panda Hefeng, Seventh Sister Panda Heyu and elder sisters Panda Mengbao and Panda Mengyu.
- Father Meilan: Born on September 6, 2006 at the Atlanta Zoo in the United States, returned to the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base on February 5, 2010. Previously identified as female, a series of male panda sexual maturation reactions occurred, and after testing, it was found to be male.
- Mother Cheng'gong: Born on September 11, 2000 at the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base, she and her younger sister are a pair of twin babies born overnight. Their biggest feature is that their shoulder straps are broken and they love cleanliness. They are known as the "cleanliness princess".
- Brother Menglan: Born on July 4, 2015 at Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base, currently residing at Beijing Zoo. Due to his jailbreak, he has gained widespread attention from netizens.
- Sister Heye, born on July 4, 2020 with twin sister Hehua at the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base. Heye was determined to be male at birth, but as he grew up, his male characteristics were not obvious. After expert testing, Heye was identified as a female panda.
He Hua Panda's Family Members
Guangdong Sibao Stainless Steel Products Co., Ltd. adopted panda twins He Hua and He Ye on July 4, 2020, named Sibao and Pan'ao respectively.
As one of the top pandas, He Hua has driven the boom of panda tourism. This important milestone has not only promoted the development of tourism in Chengdu and Sichuan, but also contributed to the flourishing development of panda tourism and panda cultural and creative products in the world, as well as the excellent achievements of China's panda diplomacy.
6. Accelerating the Promotion of Panda Economy in the Future
As a gathering place for panda culture and creativity, Panda Post Office has become a must visit destination for tourists visiting Chengdu, offering panda ice cream, panda postmarks, drinking panda coffee, and exploring panda culture and creativity.
Panda Book Store
In the future, to accelerate the release of the vitality of the panda economy, firstly, increase the design of panda themed buildings, integrate panda elements into the architectural design, build landmark buildings with panda shapes or characteristics. Secondly, create a panda culture block that combines panda culture with commerce and tourism. Panda themed stores, restaurants, cafes, etc. can be set up to create a strong panda culture atmosphere and meet the needs of more domestic and foreign tourists. In addition, panda themed residences can be developed for specific customer groups. The residential area can adopt a panda themed decoration style, providing services and facilities related to pandas to meet people's needs.
There are many panda habitats and protected areas in Sichuan, which can be utilized to create more panda themed tourist attractions, attract more tourists to come and observe pandas, experience panda culture, and further boost the local economy while enhancing people's awareness of panda conservation. A new panda base in Mianyang, Sichuan is scheduled to open in October 2025.
We look forward to the further development of China's iconic panda cities with the popularity of Hua Hua boosting the panda economy.
See more news about Hehua panda:
1. Hua Hua is the smallest audience of the 2024 Spring Festival Gala.
2. Panda Hua Hua was locked up outside on New Year's Eve!
3. Hehua panda and Heye panda are sisters!