The Smithsonian's National Zoo is celebrating the first birthday of Xiao Qi Ji, the newest giant panda, with a birthday celebration on Saturday.
Xiao Qi Ji will dig into a birthday cake breakfast that you can watch live at 7:30 a.m. here.
Since his arrival in 2020, Xiao Qi Ji has captured hearts and had many first-time experiences. Some of them include sliding and tumbling around in snow and recognizing his name, which translates to “little miracle” in English.
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Xiao Qi Ji is mama Mei Xiang's fourth surviving cub and third boy. The oldest, Tai Shan, arrived in July 2005, but D.C.-area panda fans had a long wait after that. Bao Bao, Mei's only female offspring, arrived to much fanfare in August 2013, followed by Bei Bei in August 2015.
All three of the cub's older siblings now live in China, per an agreement between that nation and the United States.
