Located 25 kilometers outside of Chengdu City, the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding is a popular tourist attraction, where visitors can watch cute Giant Pandas. The institution has a huge facility that replicates the natural habitat of the giant pandas. Its primary aim is to preserve and increase the population of pandas to eradicate extinction. Here, locals and tourists have the chance to see the giant pandas as well as the red pandas, which look like raccoons.
The institution boasts its panda breeding center, one of the institution’s biggest attractions where you can see the baby pandas in their playpens. There is also a video played in the center wherein the panda reproduction and birth are highlighted. When a mother panda gives birth, she does not know what comes out of them. That is why the researchers in the center must help out in time to avoid accidents of killing the baby when the first-time mother swats it around.
The Chengdu Panda Base was constructed and founded in the year 1987. It is a non-profit research and breeding facility for rare animals, especially giant pandas. The base began its operations with only 6 giant pandas who were rescued and saved from the wild. Their operations have succeeded and by the year 2008 the base was able to facilitate 124 panda births and the population of the rescued pandas increased to 83.
In the year 1993, the Giant Panda Museum was opened and it aims to develop scientific education and improve the awareness of the people to protect the wild creatures and their environment. It is the only thematic museum in the world that focuses on rare and endangered animal species.
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| By Bus | |
|---|---|
| Xiongmao Jidi Station | Bus 87, 198, 198a or 655 help you to reach the Xiongmao Jidi station |
| Dong Wu Yuan Station | Bus bus 9, 18, 25, 32, 87, 64 Express, 70, 64, 85, 99, 146, 150, 156a, 156b, 166, help you to reach the Dong Wu Yuan station. Then, you should change the line to 198 to reach the site. |
| Longqing Road Shulong Crossing | Bus 60 and 87 help you to reach the Longqing Road Shulong Crossing and walk toward the Xiongmao Avenue direction for about 15 minutes to reach the site. |
| By Metro | |
| Dong Wu Yuan Station | Metro Line 3 helps you to reach the Dong Wu Yuan Station. Then, you should leave and take bus 198 to reach the site |
| By taxi | |
| From Downtown | You will have to pay about 40 Yuan from the city to reach the site |
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Prices
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| Prices | |
|---|---|
| Adults | 58 Yuan |
| Children under 3.9 feet | Free |
| Opening Hours | |
| Everyday | 7:30 am to 6:00 pm |
| Contacts | |
| Website | www.panda.org.cn |
| Tel | +86 28 8351 0033 |
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Sightseeing Bus
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| Prices | |
|---|---|
| Everyone | 10 Yuan |
| Opening Hours | |
| April – October | 7:30 – 18:00 |
| November to March | 8:00 – 17:30 |
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One important regulation to note in the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding is that you cannot photograph the little pandas since the flash of the cameras and smartphones can hurt their eyes.
Early mornings are the best time to go to the base. Pandas here are usually awake and perform their activities like eating, drinking, and playing with each other from 8 am to 11 am. After those times, the pandas would probably be sleeping. If you visit the base in September or October, you might be lucky enough to see newborn pandas in the nursery.
The base is located more than 10 km from the city, in the northern area of Chengdu Futou Hill. Going to the base is very convenient and its location has a distinct geographical advantage for the giant panda tourism development. From the founding of the base, it was able to comprehensively simulate the natural ecological environment wherein the wild giant pandas live and survive. It has constructed a pool, stream, forest, lawn, and bamboo forests. Another good factor of the area that contributed to the suitable environment for animal survival is the natural mountain scenery and previous artificial landscape that were combined skillfully.
Bamboo Forests
There are plenty of bamboo forests in the base like the Bambusa multiplex. Because of the rich cultivation and preservation of the base, the environmental tour within the bamboo forest path was formed. Visitors can also find a variety of cherry blossoms and other ornamental plants.
Other Rare Animals
Other rare and endangered wild animals and birds can also be seen in the base like peacocks and white swans. There are also hundreds of insects and butterfly species being bred in the base.
The Giant Panda Museum
The Giant Panda Museum has three main halls to visit. There is the Giant Panda Hall, the Vertebrate Hall, and the Butterfly Hall. Lots of displays can be found in the museum such as various information about wild animals, models, fossils, pictures, and samples. Comprehensive education about the animals’ characteristics, habitat, and China’s preservation and breeding efforts are also shown in the museum through scientific displays. Books and scientific literature about giant pandas from different authors around the world are also available in the halls.
Panda Restaurant
A Chinese restaurant, a leisure outdoor café, and a canteen are the options for the visitors to the base when hunger strikes. The restaurant has a 200-seat capacity for dining. Its chef has a distinct technique for cooking and the offered cuisine is mainly traditional Sichuan cuisine. On the other hand, the outdoor café can be occupied by 100 people.
The Home of Panda
It is a gift shop located in the right corner of the entrance. The sellers in the gift shop are bilingual; therefore, they can easily communicate and provide service to customers who speak Chinese or English.
Tourist Shopping Service Center
On the left side of the tourist service center, you can find the Tourists Shopping Service Center, which offers an open-type shopping experience. Chinese traditional characteristics and other souvenirs are sold here.
The Panda Bookstore
Located near the Panda Charm Theater, the Panda Bookstore is a small but elegant bookstore that offers different books, literature, and souvenirs about wild animals and their environment.
