At present, there are more than 500 giant pandas in captivity in the world, most of which live in their "hometown" Sichuan, while the others are scattered in zoos around the world. Large panda sanctuaries, such as Bifengxia, are home to only a few dozen giant pandas, while the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base is home to about 180 giant pandas, making it the world's largest captive giant panda base. Not only are there a large number of pandas here, but also span all time periods, newborn cubs, petite baby pandas and strong adult pandas and their eating, sleeping, playing and other states can be seen, and there are several panda science popularization institutions, which can be called the most suitable place in the world to see and understand pandas. Today, Chengdu Giant Panda Base has developed into a comprehensive institution integrating panda protection and breeding, panda scientific research, education and tourism, and popular science tourism, and is now a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.
Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base covers an area of 1,500 acres, which is divided into four parts: Swan Lake, Giant Panda Villa and Delivery Room, Red Panda Activity Field and Delivery Room, and Giant Panda Research and Science Popularization Institution. The base area is not large, if the tourist itinerary is tight, you can focus on visiting the giant panda villa and the delivery room, which takes about 1 and a half hours. It is recommended that you take about 3 and a half hours to visit the whole park. At the same time, the giant panda base is lush with bamboo and trees, full of greenery, and it is a good choice to stroll through it or take a battery car to watch.
The Giant Panda Villa simulates the natural ecological environment of pandas in the wild and is the main activity venue for pandas, which is divided into juvenile, sub-adult and adult giant panda villas. Villas 1 and 2 are the areas with the highest concentration of pandas, with about 20 pandas. The two villas have signs introducing the pandas that live there, including their names, pictures, physical characteristics, and habits. Although the pandas are roughly the same in appearance, each panda has its own characteristics, and the museum staff can recognize each panda according to the size of the "dark circles", eye distance, ear shape, and head shape between different pandas. Visitors can also learn this skill, and some even become big fans of a particular panda after a tour.
Villas are only divided by the age of the pandas, and pandas can be seen eating, sleeping, playing, etc. in any villa, but the time is different, and visitors need to seize the time, otherwise it will be a pity to miss the pandas that are active in the outdoors. Giant pandas digest quickly, so they eat a lot and spend a long time eating. Wild pandas spend about half of their day foraging for food, while captive pandas don't have to look for food, and keepers usually feed them around 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., when visitors can see the pandas feasting. A captive panda can consume thirty or forty kilograms of bamboo shoots and more than ten kilograms of bamboo leaves or bamboo stalks a day, and the amount of food is amazing.
Giant pandas sleep for about 10 hours a day, and are most active at 8 or 9 a.m., when they play, walk, climb wooden frames and even climb trees. After 10 o'clock in the morning, the pandas have entered the state of sleep, which continues to 2 or 3 o'clock in the afternoon, and the activity enthusiasm of the giant pandas in the afternoon is weaker than that in the morning, and tourists try to arrive at the base before 9 o'clock to avoid the panda nap period. In addition, the panda villa is divided into indoor and outdoor parts, pandas like cold and fear heat, when the outdoor temperature is higher than 26 degrees, the giant panda will go indoors to escape the heat, it is recommended that tourists avoid the summer high temperature period to visit.
The maternity ward is another popular attraction of the Giant Panda Base, which is divided into a solar maternity ward and a moon maternity ward according to the shape of the maternity ward. Autumn is the panda's giving birth season, and this is the best time to visit. The delivery room is a place where giant pandas are pregnant and waiting to give birth, and where newborn pandas and young pandas live, which can be described as a kindergarten for giant pandas. The hairless newborn pandas in the incubator, the baby pandas lying on their stomachs, and the mother and child pandas snuggling up to each other can all be seen in the delivery room. The Sun Maternity Room has a larger number of young cubs and is located in the center of the base, where there is often a long queue at the door, and it takes more than 1 hour to queue at the peak. The moon delivery room has slightly fewer tourists, basically no queues, and more indoor activity rooms.
In addition to giant pandas, there are also animals such as swans, peacocks, and red pandas in the base. The red panda is an often misunderstood species, with its name easily mistaken as a juvenile giant panda and its appearance often mistaken for a raccoon. The red panda, whose scientific name is the red panda, resembles a cat, but is larger than a cat, with a reddish-brown body, tan limbs, long and fluffy body hair, a round face and bright eyes, a high appearance, and a more intimate person.
After visiting each cute treasure, visitors can visit the Panda Hospital, Panda Kitchen, Panda Museum, Panda Science Exploration Museum and other popular science museums to learn about the evolution, diet, breeding, disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment of giant pandas. In addition, there is a panda donation point at the base, and you can get a donation certificate and a panda doll if you donate 200 yuan or more. The Panda Base is located in the outer ring of Chengbei District, 3.8 kilometers away from the nearest Panda Avenue subway station. Tourists can also take the scenic through train or Wenbo sightseeing line to and from popular attractions such as the Giant Panda Base, Wuhou Temple, Du Fu Thatched Cottage and distribution points such as Chunxi Road and Tianfu Square.
Suggested visiting time: half a day
Indicative fare:
Full ticket: 55 yuan/person
Half ticket: 7-18 years old, college students with a bachelor's degree or below, and 60-70 years old
Free admission: Children under the age of 6 or under 1.3 meters in height, seniors aged 60 or above, seniors aged 70 or above, active military personnel, disabled soldiers, and disabled people
Opening hours: 07:30-18:00 (no entry after 5 p.m.)
Tip：1. Bring mosquito repellent and sunscreen in summer; 2. Smoking, loud noises, and pets are not allowed; 3. It is forbidden to feed animals and use flash to take pictures; 4. Be sure not to climb over the railing, the cute panda is actually very fierce.
