Super-cute panda cub gets official name; baby ID card to be issued on October 26

By MOOK Travel & Living Chen Guanxin | Compiled & Reported

 

The online public naming campaign for Taipei’s baby giant panda, “Choose a Name Together,” jointly organized by the Taipei City Government’s Department of Information and Tourism and the Taipei Zoo, ended on the evening of October 15. Over 75,000 people participated in the vote. As expected, “Yuan Zai” (Round Baby) received the most votes—more than 45,000, accounting for over 60% of the total—and became the most popular and adorable choice. Other names ranked in order were “Yuan Bao” (Round Treasure), “Yuan Zai Hua” (Round Baby Flower), “Fen Yuan” (Pink Round), “Tuanyuan” (Reunion), and “Tangyuan” (Sweet Rice Ball).

The Department of Information and Tourism stated that since the “Choose a Name Together” campaign for the baby giant panda opened for online voting on September 14, it has attracted many participants daily. During the campaign, two rounds of thank-you gifts were given out to boost participation: 50 VIP priority visit tickets for the baby panda, as well as 370 hot spring and spa vouchers worth a total of over NT$100,000. These incentives helped the campaign attract more than 75,000 voters within just one month. Although the result was as expected—with “Yuan Zai” taking the lead with over 60% of the total votes—the vote count fluctuated dramatically throughout the process. The most thrilling moment came in the final stage when “Yuan Bao” briefly surpassed “Yuan Zai” in daily votes for 10 consecutive days. In the end, “Yuan Bao” came in second place with over 30% of the vote. The other names each garnered support from thousands of voters, ranking in order as “Yuan Zai Hua,” “Fen Yuan,” “Tuanyuan,” and “Tangyuan.”

 

The Department of Information and Tourism noted that the prize draw for the naming campaign will take place before October 26. Winners will be contacted promptly after the draw, and prizes will be distributed soon. Meanwhile, the zoo is also planning to issue a baby ID card for the panda cub during its anniversary celebration on October 26.

 

 

●   Further Reading:

http://goo.gl/IR2waj