7 new born panda cubs make public debut in Chengdu

Photo taken on Sept. 24, 2019 shows giant panda cubs at Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province. A total of seven giant panda cubs born in the base in 2019 met the public here Tuesday. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

CHENGDU, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- Seven newborn giant panda cubs made their first public appearance on Tuesday at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.

Seven baby giant pandas born in 2019 were arranged in the shape of the number "70" to express best wishes for the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, said Zhang Zhiping, director of the panda research base.

As of September, a total of nine giant panda cubs were born at the base this year with a survival rate of 100 percent, including the panda baby with the world's heaviest birth weight of more than 200 grams and the world's lightest-born baby panda, only 42.8 grams.

The Chengdu research base ranked second after the Palace Museum in the list of top 10 most-viewed scenic spots of China. According to statistics, the panda base received nearly 7.5 million visitors in 2018 and the number is expected to exceed 9 million this year.