Giant panda Xinxin celebrates birthday in Macao

Xinxin, the female one of the new giant panda pair given by Chinese central government as gift to Macao, celebrated her eighth birthday with children here on Sunday.

The special administrative region's Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau held a special party for the panda, presenting tailor-made ice cake made out of juice with fresh fruits and vegetables on the top, as well as organizing dozens of little panda fans singing " happy birthday song" to her in the panda pavilion at Seac Pai Van Park.

Xinxin played happily with the "ice cake", lying down, rolling the round icy ball from head to foot to cool off herself after enjoying the big "birthday treat". Her cute and charming actions made all visitors laughing and screaming "amazing".

"Having lived in Macao for two months, the panda pair have been used to the new environment here, they were fed on bamboo from Guangdong only, instead of eating mixed food from the hometown Sichuan", the vet Chio Chong Kuan told Xinhua.

"They also got familiar with the local vets, following their instructions in the Cantonese dialect."

The panda pair arrived in Macao on April 30 as gifts from the central government to replace a former pair, also named Kaikai and Xinxin, after the former Xinxin died of kidney failure in June last year.

The former pair came to Macao as gifts for the celebration of the 10th anniversary of Macao's return to China. Endi