Nov. 28, 1999 Washington District of Columbia District Of Columbia, USA
A giant Panda Bear who arrived in the United States as a symbol of United States-China detente and quickly achieved world-wide status at becoming the most beloved attraction along with his mate Ling Ling, at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. The giant pandas were sent to the United States in June 1972, two months after President Richard Milhous Nixon's historical trip to Beijing, China, as a gift, which helped to re-open contacts between the United States and China. At there first public appearance, over eight thousand people stood in the rain for 30 minutes to an hour, just to watch them. In the 27 years that Hsing Hsing spent at the National Zoo, he was visited by an estimated 3 million people a year. On December 30, 1992, his mate Ling Ling died. On April 4, 1997, he had to have cancer surgery, and on November 28, 1999, after a last meal of blueberry muffins and bamboo poles, Hsing Hsing was put to sleep, due to his many health problems, which also included kidney disease. He was 28 years old.