Pandas, Chengdu

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The Panda Research Centre is just that, and the place has a spectacular success rate in encouraging the pandas to reproduce (check out the family tree of the legendary Mei-Mei in the museum). A panda looks for true love when it chooses a partner, so the system of encouraging the animals to mate annually is a sad - if necessary - consequence of many hundreds of years of human pressure on the panda's natural habitats. There are believed to be only 1200 giant pandas left in the wild now.

For all its sucess in attracting visitors and breeding pandas, one can't help but feel that this is a showcase primarily intended to raise money: in 30 years, they have only released one panda back into the wild (in 2005), but have sent many more than that to other zoos around the world. One wonders what, exactly, the priorities are.

In the meantime, there is plenty of propaganda about the role of the panda in the world today, with plenty of superlatives and hyperbole about the iconic mammal. Signs around the Research Centre wax lyrical about the environment, ecology and the importance of environmental stewardship. Meanwhile, streams nearby - outside - the centre run black and the banks are covered with litter. It takes more than a few signposts in a zoo to tackle serious environmental degradation. This is a country where heavily subsdised water, electricity, land and natural resources means that everyone is using up the environment like there's no tomorrow.

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40 minutes to the northeast of central Chengdu is China's main Giant Panda Breeding Research Centre. Many Western visitors will have very mixed feelings about the centre, as most of the animal buildings are grim, dank, concrete 'bomb shelters'. The centre was built mainly in the 1980s when most zoo construction in the world was building stunning complexes with an emphasis on interpretation and education for the visitors and appropriate, interesting habitats for the residents; but in China, the 1980s and 1990s was the era when the country discovered concrete and the results will be a burden on China for decades to come.

There is much building work going on currently, with a new Panda Museum and a Panda Research Centre, but still "Mr Concrete" is getting his money and the building works look heavy on the cement and light on airy spaciousness - if you know what I mean.

Fortunately, the landscaping of the Panda Centre has been done well, with most of the 200 hectares planted as bamboo forest and woodland, with small lakes and pools. It is possible to get well away from the crowds of visitors - apparently up to 300,000 a day at times - by wandering away from the main enclosures. The most popular areas are the Infant Enclosure, the Juvenile Enclosures and the #2 Red Panda enclosure. At all three sites you will see "Chinese zoo behaviour" at its classic worst, with visitors heckling and shouting at the animals to get them to move. It's a pathetic sight to watch these people in action, and even many Chinese visitors are visibly embarrassed by the behaviour of many of the visitors. There are many signs requesting quiet - but it does seem impossible for these people to understand. It's all about respect, and that seems to be increasingly thin on the ground at these kinds of sites.

A fairly standard Chinese provincial zoo, Chengdu Zoo has over 10 giant pandas, the largest number of this endangered species in city zoo in captivity in the world, also rare golden-hair monkeys, and other 200 varieties.

Actually: I don't like Chinese Zoos. The animals are living sadly in cages and the people always want to touch them, making the animals nervous and sick. I viisted Chengdu Zoo in 1987 and maybe things changed to the better in the last years, as China is becoming more aware specially of endangered species like the Panda Bear.

How to get there: There are three options for transport to the institute:
a) Cycle from the city. This is a nice bike ride but the 18km may be too much for the unfit!
b) A taxi should cost approximately RMB85 from Chengdu center.
c) Take a tour from the Traffic Hotel. This is a convenient option and at RMB80 (including the entrance fee) is a pretty good deal. Enquire at the hotel for more information. (2006)

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OK, it's a cliche, but how often in life are you going to get to see PANDAS?

For Y70 (including breakfast, transport and entry fee) Sim's Cozy Guesthouse organises tours (as does nearly any accommodation house in Chengdu) to the Panda Breeding Research Centre.

They are mighty cute, dopey and very very hungry but then so am I. So after a few pandas you can get a bit panda-ed out. But if you're really keen you can hold a baby for Y1200 (!) or elbow an adult panda in the ribs for Y400.

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Located just 10km away from downtown Chengdu, the Chengdu Panda Breeding Research Center has been created to imitate the pandas' natural habitat in order that they have a the best possible chances for breeding and survival. Pandas are an endangered species as there are only about 1000 of them in China of which 80% are distributed in Sichuan province.
At this center, you can see cute and cuddly pandas of all sizes happily munching on bamboo or frolicking with each other in their enclosures. They love to sleep and most of them were sleeping when I was there.
The privilege of holding a baby panda and having a photo taken with it will set you back RMB800!

The Giant Panda Breeding Research Base is home to several giant and red pandas. The red pandas I have to admit are pretty cool, too. You need to go early in the morning, as the pandas eat and play then. Most of the day they just sleep. Your hostel or hotel can make arrangements. It cost me Y70 for transport and entrance but the price was quite variable, even among the people on my minibus.

For 50$ you can hold a baby panda for about a minute! Is it worth it? It's definately a once in a life time experience. I had intended on doing .. but at the last minute i decided i shouldn't..... Anyways.. the Breeding Centre is basically a zoo devoted to Panda's The Animals are most active in the morning so most people arrive early mornings. There are hordes!!!!!!!!! of tourists taking pictures of the animals. The enclosures seem a little small but I suppose it's better than the wild as they will have better chances of survival at the centre....... One good thing is the centre has had quite a few panda births.. so there is still hope for the poor panda.....

Oh go and visit the poor neglected red panda's!!!! They are cute as well... and to get a photo with one of the them it only cost's 25$!!!!!

Well, this needs little commentary. You pay a whopping 400yuan to have your photo taken with a panda cub.You go into the room, put on a nice blue outfit with shoe covers to match and sit down. The panda is then brought out of its cage and your camera friend fires away. So it's not even a professional photograph you get for your money, but on the otherhand, you can take as many photos as you want. And a couple of minutes later, the panda is whisked off you and put back in its cage or garden. My friend told me it was an amazing experience, and one which he will never forget! I was trying to think of an animal that I would pay 400yuan to let it sit on my knee..I just think its far too expensive...but then on the otherhand, if David Beckham were around I wouldn't say no!