WASHINGTON — Call him Tai Shan.

That is the official name of the National Zoo's giant panda cub, announced with much fanfare yesterday during a ceremony outside the Panda House celebrated the 100th day since the cub's birth.

The Chinese name (pronounced tie-shon) means "peaceful mountain." It drew 88,245 votes, or about 44 percent, of the 202,045 votes cast in the zoo's online poll.

Tai Shan beat out four other name choices, each previously approved by the China Wildlife Conservation Association. The losing monikers were Qiang Qiang, which means "strong, powerful" (66,195 votes); Sheng Hua, which means "Washington China" (18,146 votes); Long Shan, which means "dragon mountain" (16,100 votes); and Hua Sheng, which means "China Washington" (13,359 votes).

Yesterday's naming ceremony followed the Chinese custom of waiting to name giant pandas until they are 100 days old, when their survival is believed to be assured.

The zoo's new director, John Berry, revealed the winning name before a crowd of Smithsonian Institution and Chinese officials as well as zoo employees and visitors. There also was entertainment by traditional Chinese dance troupes, a martial-arts performance and special activities for children. Berry said the cub was "healthy and strong."

Tai Shan missed the festivities. He is still ensconced in the den where he was born July 9, hidden away from the public except for the zoo's 24-hour, closed-circuit camera that tries to capture his every move for the zoo's Web site. His mother, Mei Xiang (pronounced may-shawng), has been reluctant to let him venture out. When keepers have tried to move the cub to an area where visitors could see him, she has quickly dragged him back to the den.

Information

A photo gallery and "panda cam" are available at nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/GiantPandas/

Zoo officials had hoped to put Tai Shan on public view next month; they are now shooting for a public debut in December.

The cub, which was the size of a stick of butter at birth, quickly developed from a pinkish, hairless and sightless creature into a robust creature with the distinctive black-and-white markings that have made giant pandas a popular attraction at zoos.

Last week, he measured 25.5 inches from head to tail and weighed 12.7 pounds. He has started to toddle around his den and has become an armful for his mother.

Giant pandas are an endangered species, with about 1,600 living in the wild in China. The zoo has been trying to breed pandas for three decades. Its first pair of mating giant pandas, Ling Ling and Hsing Hsing, a gift from the Chinese government in 1972, produced five cubs, but none lived longer than a few days.

Tai Shan, conceived in the spring by artificial insemination, is the property of China and will be sent to that country sometime after his second birthday.