大壮 (Dàzhuàng) -- "big and strong"
ignored for a decade.
loved for 9 days.
2015 -- 2025
Dazhuang (大壮) was a male black-capped capuchin at Hefei Wildlife Park in Anhui province, China. his name means "big and strong." he and a younger male, Xiaoshuai (小帅, "small handsome"), transferred from Hangzhou Safari Park in 2015.
for 10 years, nobody looked at him. he was just another monkey in a zoo that gets a few visitors a day.
his keeper, Zhang Chunxue, described him as gentle and slightly timid.
"He climbs to a high perch and hides if approached by strangers."
-- Zhang Chunxue, keeper
may day 2025
during the May Day holiday, a single visitor posted a video on Douyin. it showed a monkey with a perfectly square face. it looked human.
Chinese internet called him 国字脸猴 -- the "guo-character-face monkey" -- because his face is shaped like the character 国 (country), which has a perfectly square structure. in Chinese culture, a "guo-character face" describes a square jaw. calling a monkey this was inherently funny.
they also called him 丑萌 (chǒu méng) -- "ugly-cute."
his keeper disagreed:
"Among black-capped capuchins, the alpha male usually has a squarer face and a larger build. By those standards, Dazhuang is actually very handsome."
-- Zhang Chunxue, keeper
overnight, Dazhuang became the most famous monkey in China.
millions of views. China Daily, ECNS, CGTN all covering him. Getty Images sent photographers. people traveled across the country just to see one monkey. the zoo put up a poster of him. general manager Zhou Liliang announced they were managing crowds to protect Dazhuang's environment.
大壮的幸福生活 -- the happy life of dazhuang
in 2023, the zoo brought in a female capuchin from Wuxi Wildlife Park in Jiangsu province. the internet named her Xiaomei (小美) -- "little beautiful."
in April 2024, she gave birth to Dazhuang's baby.
visitors would watch him groom Xiaomei while she held their baby. fans called it "大壮的幸福生活" -- the happy life of Dazhuang.
he had a wife. a baby. a brother who came with him from Hangzhou. for a brief moment, the world saw what his keeper had always known.
may 22, 2025
May 21: the zoo announced Dazhuang had developed health issues and was receiving treatment.
May 22, morning: he suddenly fell ill.
May 22, afternoon: he was gone.
cardiopulmonary failure. veterinary experts from across China could not save him.
the park expressed "deep sorrow over the loss." Shanghai Daily tweeted it with a broken heart. CGTN called him "charmingly awkward." netizens mourned. others raged -- did the sudden fame and crowds stress him to death?
"Square-faced monkey passes away at Hefei wildlife park"
chinadaily.com.cn
"Heartbreaking news from Hefei Wildlife Park 💔" -- #dazhuang #chinesezoo
ignored for a decade.
loved for 9 days.
gone forever.
he was gentle. he was shy. he hid from strangers. he groomed his wife while she held their baby. the world found him and lost him in the same breath.
about black-capped capuchins
native to South America. considered the most intelligent New World monkeys.
among the few monkey species that use tools -- specifically stones to crack nuts.
their long, flexible tails can support their entire body weight, freeing their hands.
tl;dr
大壮 (Dazhuang, "big and strong") was a black-capped capuchin at Hefei Wildlife Park. he lived there for 10 years and nobody cared. a single visitor posted a video of his square, human-like face on Douyin during May Day 2025. he went viral overnight -- China Daily, ECNS, CGTN, Getty Images, people traveling across China to see him. he had a wife Xiaomei, a baby, and a brother Xiaoshuai. 9 days later, on May 22, he was dead. cardiopulmonary failure. the world found him and lost him in the same breath.
verify everything
tokenomics
1B
total supply
0%
buy/sell tax
LP burned forever
for Dazhuang. not financial advice.