SINGAPORE - An An and Xin Xing were the first two giant pandas to be brought to Singapore on loan from China on Sept 19, 1990.

The male pandas, who were born around 1986, were housed in an air-conditioned enclosure at the Singapore Zoo for 100 days.

The zoo was the first in South-east Asia to exhibit the rare and endangered species and the pair attracted 400,000 visitors during their stay.

Prior to their arrival, the Singapore Zoo grew local bamboo for the pandas. They typically feed on arrow bamboo and umbrella bamboo from Sichuan, China. Zoologist and veterinarians from the China Wildlife Conservation Association were also invited to stay throughout the duration to advise zoo officials on the pandas' health and diet.

The pair ate 10 to 15kg of bamboo shoots, some sugar cane and 1kg to 2kg of apples every day.

An An has been living in Hong Kong's Ocean Park since March 1999. Xin Xing, who has been living in Yunnan, China, since August 2007, is the father of seven pandas, including Long Hui who lives in Vienna, Austria, and Chuang Chuang in Chiang Mai, Thailand.