Panda twins born on day for lovers

Left: Mother panda Chenggong gives birth to twins on Tuesday morning. Right: The newborn pandas receive good care.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Panda twins were born at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Sichuan province on Tuesday.

The mother, Chenggong, gave birth to a male and a female cub around 1:34 am, base staff member Wu Kongju said, noting that Chenggong's labor lasted 14 hours.

The twins weighed in at 195.5 and 152.8 grams. Both are in good condition.

"This is Chenggong's third birth. She is a very good mother. After the cubs were born, she cuddled them and comforted them," Wu said.

The twins are the eighth pair of twins born in the Chengdu base this year along with five single cubs.

July to September is the high season for panda births.

There are more than 1,300 wild pandas in Sichuan, 15 percent more than 10 years ago, and 360 more are in captivity.

Tuesday is Qixi on the Chinese lunar calendar - Chinese Valentine's Day. The holiday originates from a myth about the love between an ordinary herdsman and a fairy.