Xing Xing (
Chinese: meaning "star-star") is a one-armed
Tibetan macaque who resides in the
Daliang Mountains, located within the
Dongnanxi Village in
Ninghai County, which is within the province of
Zhejiang. The head
abbot of
Yanghu Temple, Ying, said in an interview that Xing Xing had been a
circus monkey. Later, Xing Xing lost one of her arms after it got caught in a wild
boar trap. He also revealed that a hunter found the monkey and sold her to a village near the mountains. She was reportedly kept in a
restaurant as entertainment for visitors for a short time, but the villagers let her go because they could not afford to keep feeding her fruits and peanuts. She later came across the Yanghu Temple, where an elder
nun, Tai Chang, fed the macaque and named her "Xing Xing." Monkeys do not currently naturally reside in Ninghai County. At the time of her arrival, Xing Xing was pregnant and in poor health; her infant died during the winter. She had a large iron chain
collar tied around her neck, harming her skin. A worker from the
Ningbo Zoo helped remove it, but it had already created a permanent scar around her neck. Ye Liannu, an elderly nun and local resident, is the main caretaker of Xing Xing, although the macaque remains free-ranging. According to Ye, the macaque was at first afraid but came to trust her and even seek her out, as Ye came to the mountains to feed her. She also revealed that Xing Xing was capable of peeling seeds and fruit and operating
faucets with her one hand. Ye described Xing Xing as generally friendly but, as a wild animal, also known to display aggression, such as grabbing people's clothes. Xing Xing is also noted for interacting with
cats and is capable of moving quickly despite only having one arm. Ying stated that Xing Xing's presence helped to make the village more lively; with the three temple caretakers including him, Ye and a cleaning staff member being the ones to feed her food typically in the morning. He said that she tended to steal food at first, but she no longer does so. Additionally, according to Ying, she often visited the area in the afternoon for a few hours before departing elsewhere. As of 2023, it had been more than fifteen years since she was first taken in by the Buddhist nun, her age being unknown. == Popularity ==