Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding

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The panda is a conservation reliant endangered species. A 2007 report shows 239 pandas living in captivity inside China and another 27 outside the country. Wild population estimates vary; one estimate shows that there are about 1,590 individuals living in the wild. -Wikipedia

Pandas are a very rare animal, literally.

If you ever find yourself in Chengdu, China (which we highly recommend), a wonderful experience is to visit the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. This organization does research, education, breeding and conservation of the pandas.

            

This is our experience and your how-to:  

Step 1: Take a taxi, it is easy and inexpensive.

We took a taxi from the Rhombus Fantasia Hotel and left at 6:50 am, the ride is about 25-30 min and cost 58-Yuan, the return trip was only 46-Yuan...less traffic maybe? And taxis were easy to find at the exit when it was time for us to leave. As very little English is spoken in Chengdu, we developed a system where the night before we go online and try to find the name of where we want to go in Chinese (characters), and finding a picture or two of the building or landmark related to it, then emailing it to ourselves so that when we get in a taxi, we can show it to the driver (don't forget to down load the images to your phone before you leave the hotel). So far, this has been working well!  

Step 2: If possible, visit early on a weekday morning during "off-season".

We went on a Thursday morning in late October (the first week of October is Golden week in China, try to avoid travel during this time). This allowed us a fairly quiet (not crowded) visit. Weather is also an important consideration if you are flexible as the pandas are mountain/hill creatures and prefer the cooler weather (ie visit in the morning or cooler months). If you visit in the summer, the panda’s are inside a good part of the day due to the heat.

Online the park operating hours show it opens at 8am, but the information on the ticket wickets says 7:30am. Adult admission is 58-Yuan each. We arrived early with the goal of not only visiting the park, but to register for the opportunity to hold/sit with a panda and take pictures.

Step 3: First stop, the Sunshine Nursery House.  
 

It is approximately a 10-15 min walk to this Nursery. As we were the first people in the park, the walk to Sunshine was very nice and peaceful. Beautiful actually. We were the only ones at Sunshine or so we thought until we walked around...the pandas are outside! These guys are VERY active in the morning. They were playing around with each other and just acting silly. These one-year old pandas were behaving like children! They were climbing over each other, eating bamboo, and maneuvering through their obstacle course! Then, around the corner, we saw the baby pandas! Only 2-3 months old, still not strong enough to support themselves, just sleeping away in a giant crib!

Toooo cute toooo handle! 

When we arrived at Sunshine, nothing was open. Where do we sign up for the Panda experience?! Apparently the registration (which happens in The Giant Panda Keeper Experience Station at Sunshine), does not open until 8:30am.

When the time arrived, we put our name on the list (we were asked if we had called before, I guess you can try to call to be put on the list?) and were told to return before 10am to make the required donation of 2000-Yuan per person (required to personally meet a Panda). At this point we wandered the park and returned to Sunshine at 9:30am to make our donation. We were then given a badge and lanyard with a number to identify us as having made our donation. This donation helps to take care of the pandas (which is VERY costly). NOTE: there are no ATMs at the park so bring lots of cash with you!

There were 20 of us in the group, and we were given an audio receiver to put on so we could hear the guide talk. We were taken to a small room to learn a little about what they do at the facility and about pandas themselves. This took about 10-15 min and we learned a lot about what they eat, reproduction, birthing, the research, etc. Very educational! Then we were taken to the prepping area. We were given a few tips as we were suited up with booties, gloves and a smock to protect the Panda - be very quiet (pandas do not like noise), and do not touch the ears, hands or face.

When you visit will determine the panda you will meet. The babies were born in July/August and thus were only 2-3 months old. They are not ready to meet people until they are at least 6 months old.

As such, we got to meet Miao Miao (pronounced Meow Meow), who is 1 year old. At this age, pandas weigh approximately 60-80lbs, and we were not allowed to hold her or place her on our lap (discomfort for both the human and panda), so we sat beside her. She was too adorable, and happy to sit with each one of us (of course someone was constantly giving her bamboo with honey! She is a bear after all :) We each had a brief but not rushed time with her (which does not sound like a lot but it is respectful for the panda). If you came as a group/couple, you could also take a photo that way with her. Not only do they take a picture of you as part of the thank you for your donation, but they will also take plenty of pictures/video of you using your own equipment as well. The guide and people taking care of the pandas (and you) were wonderful! Once everyone had a turn, you waited in the office area again for your picture. They put it in a frame for you (along with the group photo if you did one), and you also get a donation certificate, re-usable bag, magazine, t-shirt, DVD and pin.

The entire process took about an hour and afterward we visited the rest of the park. There are plenty of pandas to see in the park even if you do not do the photo/meet experience. They are all adorable. You can also see red pandas, peacocks, koi fish and both white and black swans at the park as well.

Later in the morning and a lot of the afternoon (or in the summer), the pandas do nothing but sleep as a way to conserve energy. So if you visit the park later in the day, you may not find it very interesting, but you have to remember that these are living creatures who are not there to perform for you when you arrive. They are doing what they would normally do, eat, sleep and play.

Visit the park regardless of whether you meet a panda or not. It is a worthwhile experience to see them this close.

 ~ Christine and Jason

PS. There is a post office at the park so you can purchase and mail your postcards as well!

http://www.panda.org.cn/english/

Experienced 24 October 2013