An An, a male, and Ke Ke, a female, were both born in June 2019. The two are genetically unrelated, but have complementary characters, according to Li Desheng, deputy director of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda.

On Wednesday, a farewell ceremony was held in the city of Dujiangyan for the pair. At the ceremony, the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda handed over the panda archives to Ocean Park Hong Kong.

"I'm very excited that I can accompany An An and Ke Ke to Ocean Park Hong Kong," said Paulo Pong Kin-yee, chairman of Ocean Park Hong Kong.

"On the plane, we have prepared carrots, apples and also bamboo from the hometown which the pandas love to eat," said Dong Li, a senior keeper with the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda.

According to Dong, the two pandas will spend their journey in special transport cages, and he and the vet will be with them throughout the trip.