The giant pandas are not only a Chinese national treasure but are also beloved by people the world over. They are found only in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces. In total there are fewer than 1000, of which 80% are distributed within the territory of Sichuan province. Therefore, when visitors from home and abroad come to Chengdu, Sichuan Province one of their main objectives will be to see the giant pandas for themselves.
Located just 10km (6miles) away from downtown Chengdu, the Chengdu Panda Breeding Research Center has been created and imitated the pandas' natural habitat in order that they might have the best possible environment for rearing and breeding. The Center cares also for other rare and endangered wild animals. The Research Center covers an area of 560 mus (92 acres), 96% of which is verdure. Giant pandas, lesser pandas, black-necked cranes, white storks as well as over 20 species of rare animals are fed and bred there throughout the year. Verdant bamboo, bright flowers, fresh air, a natural hill scene and a beautiful artificial view are merged ingeniously at the base.
The necessary facilities for giant pandas have been completed and include a fodder room, sleeping quarters and a medical station. Additionally there is a Giant Panda Museum together with research laboratories and a training center. A great number of plants and as many as ten thousand clumps of bamboos and bushes have been cultivated to provide for the giant pandas' diet and habitat. The center is planning to expand by another 3000 mus (500 acres) of land on which to simulate a natural environment order to prepare the giant pandas bred at the center for release into the wild.
The Giant Panda Museum was opened in 1993 to further scientific education and to improve public awareness of the protection of both wild creatures and their environment. This is the world's only thematic museum for rare and endangered animal species. The three main exhibitions are in the Giant Panda Hall, the Butterfly Hall and the Vertebrate Hall. The exhibits include all kinds of precious pictures, more than 800 materials and show more than 2140 different samples gathered in Sichuan. These include examples of animals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and insects as well as fossils and models. The resources held in store at the museum include up to ten thousand samples as well as a library of thousands of books and documents. This excellent and comprehensive museum provides a wonderful venue for all who are interested in seeing something of the propagation and protection of the region's natural bio-diversity.
| Admission Fee: | CNY 30 |
| Opening Hours: | 07:30 to 18:00 |
| Recommended Time for a Visit: | About two hours |
Panda Breeding and Research Center Pictures
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Travelers' Voices on Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Center
1.
Jul. 3,2009 04:01 Reply
Mr.anonymous(Australia) said:
holy!1000yuan. thats still heaps expensive even if you convert into aussie dollars. about how long do you carry it and is the line usually really long. how big are the pandas you carry anyway? wait i'm not sure if its 100 yuan or 1000 yuan
2.
Jun. 29,2009 16:40 Reply
Mr.pandapand(united states) said:
are there still panda cubs at the panda base? it is fine if there are not because i still love those guys, but the website says the youngest panda is two years old.
Jun. 30,2009 21:50
Mr.Colin replied:
Hello. Yes, the are still panda babies here. It is cute and visitors have chances to hug panda cubs. :-)
3.
Jun. 22,2009 04:10 Reply
Mrs.Marcia(China) said:
Does somebody know if kids ( 4 and 6 years old) are allowed to take pictures with the pandas? thank you.
Jun. 23,2009 05:00
Ms.Evelyn(China) replied:
I have never heard of the age limitation. But you will pay if you want to take pictures with a panda. What's more, tourists are only allowed to take pictures with kid panda. You know, adult pandas are very strong. They may hurt you.
4.
Jun. 21,2009 23:04 Reply
Mr.Joe Wheeler(USA) said:
For all who want the greatest thrill in the world, if you love pandas please spend the hundred or so dollars you will have an experience unlike any other,don't be a poppyjay,you are dressed in hospital garb and told to sit down and they bring this most wonderful animals God made. it will be on your lap and the handlers will be feeding it bamboo and the panda unless you do something quickly or try to take its food could not care at all about you holding them,that bamboo is all they care about,and the handlers will use your camera and take pics for you,my best one was enlarged and given to me at Christmas and hangs on my wall.The center can use the funds we give them so please hold one.
5.
Jun. 3,2009 14:21 Reply
Ms.PandaExperience(United Kingdom) said:
Hi I am heading to this exciting place in July this year. I'm going to be going around the Panda reserve on my own and would love the opportunity to hold a panda. Just wondering, someone above said that the staff take photos on your camera - is this accurate? This would be the ideal situation for a solo traveller like me!
Thank you in advance
Jun. 5,2009 22:35
Ms.Ruth(China) replied:
Yes, it's accurate. But you should pay for that. It's expensive to hold a panda in your arms.
Jun. 6,2009 09:08
Ms.Panda lover replied:
You might want to call and arrange it all with the tourist info. centre there before you go unless you can speak Mandarin, otherwise it can be difficult to communicate with the other staff. Or you might be lucky and join a queue if there is one at the time, but there wasn't one for about half an hour when I was there and I couldn't find anyone in that time who could tell me what to do to arrange it in English.
Jun. 21,2009 22:20
Mr.Anastasia(USA ) replied:
I'll be there in July as well--can you just show up? Or, do you need to make a reservation...?
6.
Mar. 30,2009 22:52 Reply
Ms.Panda Lover(Hong Kong) said:
I'm a complete panda lover and we're planning a long awaited visit to see the Center in a week's time during Easter. I've been reading different sites and somehow getting different information.
Firstly, I read about all the experiences holding a panda and taking a photo which sounds a must do, but I've also read the different amounts people had to pay to hold a panda (from 100s to 1000s).
One of the latest I've heard is you get 7 minutes per person for the experience, RMB500 to hold an adult panda and RMB1000 to hold a baby panda. But that 7 minutes includes getting dressed in protective clothing and you will only actually get 1 minute to take photo's or videos with the panda in your lap. Is this info. correct?
Can anyone who has been and held a panda tell me how much they actually paid and how long they got to hold the panda?
Secondly, I read on the main site that it will cost approx. RMB30 to get there by taxi from Chengdu centre. Is this correct? Has anyone taken a taxi there? If so, how much did it cost and how long did it take? I want to make sure I plan well enough so that I can wake up early enough and arrive at the center as soon as it opens at 8am (according to main site). Although it says the centre opens as early as 7.30am on this site.
And finally, on this site, it says that the entrance fee is 30RMB, but on the main official site, the cost is 58RMB. Not sure if the information on this site is a bit outdated!
Would really appreciate your info. and advice.
Thanks
Apr. 21,2009 02:07
Ms.Panda Lover(Hong Kong) replied:
I finally managed to get to Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Base at Easter. Only took about 35mins by taxi for less than 80 yuan from city centre.
Yaan is about 2-3hrs from Chengdu. We only had 3 days so didn't go to that place.
We saw about 40-50 pandas altogether.
Arrived 7.45am on Saturday morning and allowed in a few minutes before the 8am opening time. There were a few other locals, but luckily no tour groups at that time, so it was nice and quiet to take good pics.
We saw the panda cubs first and they were definitely most active around 8am. About half an hour later, the first tour group arrived. The pandas became a lot less active from as early as about 9.30am. So we were really glad we got there as soon as it opened.
I paid 1000 yuan to have a panda cub in my lap for less than a minute (500yuan to hug adult panda). It was a one off opportunity so paid the high price. We didn't organise it before and couldn't find anyone who could for half an hour, until I saw one of the nearby tour guides (who spoke cantonese too). He kindly helped me arrange it by joining his tour group in the line. It's a good idea to call the base to arrange it before you go.
If you decide to do it, make sure your batteries have enough power and memory cards have space to ensure you don't miss any photo or video opportunity in the few seconds you get to hold the panda.
The guide told me the money goes to development of base after the earthquake. Later heard they charged same high price before earthquake anyway. Just hope money does go to pandas and not to the keepers' greed.
Spent a good 4hrs at the base. There's a swan lake (although not many swans)which had many big goldfish in it which you can pay 5 yuan for food to feed the fish.
You can buy postcards stamps and there's a postbox to send them overseas too at the museum.
I had a great time and my boyfriend proposed to me there too, which made it even more special.
It's a panda lover's paradise!
Enjoy!
Apr. 21,2009 02:41
Ms.Panda Lover(Hong Kong) replied:
Just read some of the other comments and queries.
This is for anyone who is planning to pay for holding a panda at the Chengdu Breeding Base.
Do you have to arrange it beforehand?
If I went again I would definitley call up the base to arrange it before I go. This is esp. if you don't have a guide already who can do it for you. There's a visitor information number you can call to ask about and arrange the visit. I would imagine calling the day before is sufficient unless it's high tourist season in Chengdu.
I also recommend arranging to hold the cub before 10am if they allow it because it may get quite busy after that, especially on weekends. In this way, you may get to hold the cub for the full minute or two without being rushed through the expeerience.
2. Do the pandas look sccared or unhappy?
The panda cub I held seemed quite content as the keepers made sure it had cane to chew. There was one moment when the cub dropped the cane and turned to stare right into my eyes. Then its paw suddenly went for my face. The keepers had to run over and quickly put another cane in the cub's paws before it scratched my face. Then it continued to chew happily! We made sure we didn't use flash when taking pictures.
Was it worthit?
If you're a panda lover, then yes, definitely worthit!
As i say, try and arrange it before and get as much time with the panda when it's not busy and the experience may not feel too rushed.
Some people say the money goes towards the panda base as a donation for research and development which can be very costly. One guide told us they only introduced this (pay and hold a panda) after the earthquake. We later heard it existed long before the earthquake. I spose you will never know for sure, but they do give you a receipt for the 'donation'.
What's the best time to visit?
We're so glad we researched advice online before and arrived at the base at 8am. You'll get better pictures, it's quiet and the pandas are most active then.
May. 24,2009 14:19
Ms.khia(usa) replied:
I have been to the center and it does cost 100 yuan to hold a panda not a thosand dollars a thosand yuan. It is however worth it and all of the money goes to the pandas. I heard one person say it is greed they charge so much but thats how much it costs to feed all the pandas. If the line is short you can hold the panda much longer. I got to hold the panda for about five minutes and feed him some sugtar cane while holding him. It was an amazing experience.
Jun. 6,2009 08:52
Ms.Panda lover replied:
Am definitely angry to read that they are charging significantly different prices then. That is real greed and am very disappointed with this. My boyfriend told me it wasn't even a minute I got to hold the panda and I didn't get to feed it either.
Although I'm sure some of the money goes to the pandas' feed, the keepers must be pocketing 1000s a month for themselves.
Jun. 19,2009 07:26
Ms.FRESHONION(Russian Federation) replied:
Ms Khia, you paid only 100Y (while most of others were charged 1000). Was this price told or bargained?
7.
Jun. 14,2009 20:27 Reply
Ms.Diane(South Africa) said:
I will be in Chengdu soon and would like to visit either the Chengdu panda breeding base or Bifenxia. I have very limited time.
I am not sure which one to visit and would value any comments.
Is it easy at both places to take reasonably close up photos of pandas without fences and bars in the way?
Where is it easier to hold a baby panda and also have photos taken with an adult panda? Can a friend take these photos?
What are the prices at Bifengxia and Chengdu for a) holding a baby panda and b) photos taken with an adult panda?
I am so looking forward to this wonderful experience!
Jun. 15,2009 20:39
Mr.Jackson(UK) replied:
I went to Chengdu Panda Breeding Base which is not far from the City Centre in a 35 mins taxi ride.
If you read the previous posts you will see that visitors were charged very different prices to hold a baby panda, with one woman saying she paid 100 yuan, while another having to pay 1000 yuan, so there's a bit of greed and corruption going on, which was what a lot of the locals were telling me when we visited Chengdu earlier this year anyway.
Hugging an adult panda is also possible at the same place for about half the price - I was quoted 500 yuan but wouldn't be surprised if they charged you a different price for it.
It's assumed that the money all goes towards feeding the pandas, but many locals told me it's pocketed by the keepers.
If you love pandas that much, then you may think it's worthit and enjoy the experience.
8.
Jun. 5,2009 14:05 Reply
Ms.Sara said:
Is the Panda Reserve still in Chengdu after the earthquake? I've read they've been completely relocated to Ya'an? Anyone clear this up?
Thanks
Jun. 5,2009 22:41
Ms.Evelyn(China) replied:
You may misunderstand that. Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Center was not moved, but the Wolong National Natural Reserve has been moved to Bifeng Gorge in Ya'an. Just see the related page:
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/sichuan/chengdu/bifengxia-panda-base.htm
Jun. 7,2009 05:29
Ms.Sara replied:
thankyou for your help
9.
May. 7,2009 06:08 Reply
Mr.Kevin(USA) said:
Just went there a few hours ago (on May 7th). We got there at 7:30 am and had to wait about 20-30 minutes until they opened. We got there early to hold the 7 month old pandas before a line formed (since we heard that the longer the line, the less time you get to hold them). At 8:30 am we were told that we could not hold them until 10:00 am, which was when more people showed up.
We wandered around until about 9:45 and when we returned people had already taken pics with the panda. Luckily, there was no line when we got there. It cost 1000 Yuan (RMB) to hold a 7 month old panda for about 2-4 minutes. Unlike other posts, only one person was allowed in and we had to give our camera to a staff member who took the photos (they closed a gate so you can't watch the photos being taken). Although the staff member said that she would take 2-3 photos, the ticket booth woman said that they were supposed to take 20-30 photos. When we told the staff member this, she said ok and ended up taking 20-30 photos.
Each person had to wear a poncho and plastic gloves, not sure if this is standard procedure or because of the light rain falling.
May. 9,2009 02:44
Mrs.Sarah(USA) replied:
Hi Kevin. Thanks for the info. How far from the city of Chengdu is this new center? I know when it was in Wolong it was just a few kilometers. How far is Bifengxia? Minutes or hours from Chengdu?
May. 9,2009 04:14
Mr.Panda-lover replied:
To Mrs Sarah
Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Center is only 6 miles to the downtown Chengdu. And Bifengxia is another panda research center to keep after the pandas in Wolong after May 12 earthquake. Bifengxia is located in Ya'an City, about one hour by bus from Chengdu.
Jun. 6,2009 09:02
Ms.Panda Lover replied:
Yes, we all had to wear thin ponchos and gloves and it wasn't raining at the time. I think it's a form of protection for the pandas.
There were 3 couples allowed in at the time I went taking turns to hold the panda. 3 took turns to hold the panda and the partners took photo's.
Hope your photo's came out okay as we didn't use flash to not scare the panda, all our photo's were blurred, but luckily we also recorded some on video which was even better.
Am so jealous you got to hold the panda for 2-4 minutes. I got less than a minute only even when there were only 3 of us in the queue to hold the panda that time.
10.
May. 5,2009 00:56 Reply
Mrs.Sarah said:
I heard that they closed the center in Wolong and have moved all the pandas to another site. Does anyone know if the new site is open to the public?? Where is the new center? Do they have a website?
May. 5,2009 04:16
Ms.Sandy replied:
The pandas in Wolong have all carried to Yaan, Bifengxia Panda breeding and reserch center. It is open to the public now. No website did I found.