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.

The earthquake left nearly 90,000 people dead or missing, and the pig’s miraculous story, having subsisted on a bag of charcoal and rainwater, was hailed as an inspiring symbol of the will to survive.

Witnesses said Zhu Jianqiang had lost so much weight by the time it was pulled from the rubble that it looked more like a goat.

A museum near the city of Chengdu had purchased the pig for 3,008 yuan (RM1,860) and kept it as a tourist attraction while it lived out its days.

It succumbed to “old age and exhaustion” last night, the museum said on China’s Weibo platform.

In human terms, it was 100 years old, the Global Times said, citing its breeder.

The celebrity pig was named China’s animal of the year in 2008 because it “vividly illustrated the spirit of never giving up”.

Weibo users hailed Zhu Jianqiang as “the most famous pig in history”.

“It is indeed a strong animal, not just for surviving the earthquake, but also for the 13 years of life afterwards,” said one Weibo post.