<p>A pig that became an unlikely national icon in China after surviving 36 days under rubble from a powerful 2008 earthquake has died at the age of 14, sparking an outpouring of emotion on Thursday.</p>.<p>"Zhu Jianqiang", or "Strong Pig", shot to fame after being discovered alive after the 7.9-magnitude earthquake in southwestern Sichuan province on May 12, 2008.</p>.<p>The earthquake left nearly 90,000 people dead or missing and the pig's miraculous story, subsisting on a bag of charcoal and rainwater, was hailed as an inspiring symbol of the will to survive.</p>.<p>Witnesses said the young "Zhu Jianqiang" had lost so much weight by the time it was pulled from the rubble that it looked more like a goat.</p>.<p>A local museum near the city of Chengdu had purchased the famous pig for 3,008 yuan ($450) and kept it as a tourist attraction while it lived out its days.</p>.<p>It succumbed to "old age and exhaustion" on Wednesday night, the museum said on China's Twitter-like Weibo platform.</p>.<p>In human terms, it was 100 years old, The Global Times said, citing its breeder.</p>.<p>The celebrity porker was named China's animal of the year in 2008 because it "vividly illustrated the spirit of never giving up".</p>.<p>The Weibo hashtag "Strong Pig died" had drawn nearly 300 million views by mid-day Thursday and was rising fast.</p>.<p>Weibo users hailed it as "the most famous pig in history".</p>.<p>"It is indeed a strong animal, not just for surviving the earthquake, but also for the 13 years of life afterwards," said one popular Weibo post.</p>
<p>A pig that became an unlikely national icon in China after surviving 36 days under rubble from a powerful 2008 earthquake has died at the age of 14, sparking an outpouring of emotion on Thursday.</p>.<p>"Zhu Jianqiang", or "Strong Pig", shot to fame after being discovered alive after the 7.9-magnitude earthquake in southwestern Sichuan province on May 12, 2008.</p>.<p>The earthquake left nearly 90,000 people dead or missing and the pig's miraculous story, subsisting on a bag of charcoal and rainwater, was hailed as an inspiring symbol of the will to survive.</p>.<p>Witnesses said the young "Zhu Jianqiang" had lost so much weight by the time it was pulled from the rubble that it looked more like a goat.</p>.<p>A local museum near the city of Chengdu had purchased the famous pig for 3,008 yuan ($450) and kept it as a tourist attraction while it lived out its days.</p>.<p>It succumbed to "old age and exhaustion" on Wednesday night, the museum said on China's Twitter-like Weibo platform.</p>.<p>In human terms, it was 100 years old, The Global Times said, citing its breeder.</p>.<p>The celebrity porker was named China's animal of the year in 2008 because it "vividly illustrated the spirit of never giving up".</p>.<p>The Weibo hashtag "Strong Pig died" had drawn nearly 300 million views by mid-day Thursday and was rising fast.</p>.<p>Weibo users hailed it as "the most famous pig in history".</p>.<p>"It is indeed a strong animal, not just for surviving the earthquake, but also for the 13 years of life afterwards," said one popular Weibo post.</p>