Basi, a female giant panda, celebrated its 25th birthday on Friday in the eastern province of Fujian, and scientists say she is as old as a centenarian in the human world.

The star giant panda went back to Fujian Friday and showed up at the birthday party, which is part of the just-opened giant panda cultural festival in the provincial capital of Fuzhou, four months after she was sent to a nearby mountain summer resort.

The average life expectancy of the giant panda is 25 years and Basi suffered from high blood pressure and cataract from 2001 to 2002.

"The diseases almost killed her, but she survived. So, it's really a miracle we can celebrate her birthday today," said Basi's keeper.

Born in 1980 in southwestern Sichuan Province, Basi is a legend among giant pandas. Hunting for food in 1984, which had become scarce due to the blossoming of bamboo, she was found floating in a river. She was picked up by a local woman and sent to Fuzhou the next year.

Basi has become a star after she learned to perform acrobatics, ride bicycle, shoot a basket and lift barbell. She received warm welcome during her visit to the United States in 1987 and performed for the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing, which select the giant panda as its mascot.

Basi is also of great interest to scientists. She was the first giant panda to be diagnosed with high blood pressure and the first to undergo a successful cataract operation. One of her somatic cells was used in a cloning operation.

"She is in a fairly good condition now and we hope we can hold more birthday parties for her," said the panda keeper.

(Xinhua News Agency November 19, 2005)