Giant pandas gifted to Hong Kong by Beijing to meet the public on December 8, John Lee says

A pair of giant pandas gifted to Hong Kong by Beijing will officially meet the public on December 8, the city leader has said, with their new names set to be revealed a day before their debut.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu took to social media on Wednesday to make the announcement, saying the bears had spent the last two months adapting to their new home at Ocean Park.

“I am pleased to announce that the government and Ocean Park will hold a ‘Panda Debut Ceremony’ on December 7 this year, and the pandas will officially meet the public the following day, December 8,” Lee said.

The two new adult bears, known as An An and Ke Ke for now, were gifted to the city by Beijing to mark the 27th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese sovereignty. They arrived in the city from Sichuan province on September 26.

Authorities earlier said they would need to go through a month-long quarantine with at least another month to adapt to their new environment.