China Names Newborn Giant Panda Twins

Giant panda researchers in southwest China's Sichuan Province said on Wednesday that they have named this year's first pair of newborn panda cub twins "Zhen Zhen" and "Qiao Qiao," names that were chosen through an online poll that received more than 2 million responses.

The cubs, born on Aug. 4 at the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding and Research Base, were named "Zhen Zhen," translated as "really," and "Qiao Qiao," translated as "coincidence," a spokesman from the base said Wednesday.

When combined, the names mean "what a coincidence" in Chinese.

After the twins were born, the Chengdu base launched an online poll to solicit names for the cubs. More than 2 million Internet users responded to the poll, which was posted on qq.com, a major Chinese Internet portal.

The respondents proposed more than 3,000 names, most of which conveyed wishes for the pandas' health and happiness or marked their birthplace in Sichuan.

The names "Zhen Zhen" and "Qiao Qiao" came out on top after 10 pairs of names were put up for a final vote, held between Aug. 18 and 23.

The person who posted the winning names will receive a special reward in the form of a trip to the Chengdu base to celebrate the twins' one-month birthday in September, according to a spokesman from qq.com.