Male giant panda Xing Guang celebrated his 8th birthday at the Shanghai Zoo on Sunday with an elaborately organized party and various beautifully crafted treats.

The much-loved bear moved into the panda house at the zoo along with its friend He Feng in 2019 from the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Sichuan Province.
To celebrate Xing Guang's birthday this year, the breeders began preparing for the party more than a month in advance. They carefully designed treats featuring the shape of Shanghai delicacies and created a multi-layer birthday cake with the panda's favorites such as watermelons, pumpkins and apples.
"We used the complementary foods that the panda likes, such as carrots and pumpkins, carving them into the shape of Xiaolongbao (steamed soup dumplings) and butterfly pastry and putting them in the steamers and bamboo tubes," said Jin Zimin, a breeder.
The feast aroused Xing Guang's great interest. The adorable bear sniffed at the food carefully before sitting down to enjoy its birthday meal.
The event attracted numerous visitors, many of whom specially came to the zoo to celebrate the birthday of Xing Guang.
"I heard there is a birthday party for Xing Guang, and it's on the weekend, so I came here quickly. The activity was very interesting. We were happy to see it enjoying the meal," said Wu Xinxin, a visitor.
The zoo also created Xing Guang birthday themed settings for visitors to take photos, and handed out free souvenirs to the panda lovers.