Giant Pandas

When I was a kid, I watched a Cantonese dubbed movie about a panda cub that was captured by humans, taken to a zoo and then he became depressed and died alone in a zoo. To say that the movie was sad would be an understatement - the final scene where he was remembering his mum (who was killed when he was captured) was utterly heartbreaking. Years later and many obscure Google searches later (i.e. panda movie capture Cantonese) finally led me to the name of the movie -  a 1981 Japanese film called Tao Tao: The Story of Panda.



The giant panda is native to central China, specifically the Sichuan province. The most accessible place to visit the pandas in Chengdu is the Research Base for Giant Panda Breeding. It is a non-profit research and breeding facility and there are approximately 120 pandas.

As every review online states, go early! We arrived at 6.30am (1 hour before opening) and the line was already insanely long! I had attempted to purchase tickets via Klook however they never confirmed my tickets... Nonetheless, it was fairly straightforward to purchase tickets at the gate.




Red panda




It is recommended to visit early (before 10am) as this is when the pandas are most active. They reminded me a lot of koalas actually, possibly because of how they sleep in the tree.


Sleeping








So cute

How to get there via public transport

1. Catch the metro to Panda Avenue (Line 3)
2. Exit the station via Exit B and ignore the people there who will hassle you.
3. The bus stop should be directly in front. Wait for bus 198 or 198A (2 RMB). Ensure you have exact money.

Back in the city centre we purchased freshly made fried glutinous rice balls, a traditional Sichuan snack.




What would a trip to Sichuan be without trying the famous dan dan noodles!




Wontons in chilli oil


Cow pea noodles


Dan dan noodles
For an overview of my China trip refer to this post.