News & Politics

The Baby Panda Has a Name

Meet Xiao Qi Ji

Photograph courtesy Smithsonian's National Zoo.

When the newest baby panda was born at the National Zoo on August 21, in the middle of a hellish 2020, many Washingtonians viewed it as a miracle. And now it’s official: the panda’s name will be Xiao Qi Ji (SHIAU-chi-ji), a Mandarin Chinese term that translates as “little miracle” in English.

The name was chosen through public voting—just under 135,000 people weighed in, choosing from a list of four names released by the zoo. Since Xiao Qi Ji was born three months ago, more than 1.5 million people have watched him on the Giant Panda cam.

Editor in chief

Sherri Dalphonse joined Washingtonian in 1986 as an editorial intern, and worked her way to the top of the masthead when she was named editor-in-chief in 2022. She oversees the magazine’s editorial staff, and guides the magazine’s stories and direction. She lives in DC.