Chengdu Panda Breeding Center

On December 20, 2010 I had the once-in-a-lifetime pleasure of going to the Chengdu Panda Breeding Center (aka Chengdu Panda Base) in Chengdu, China.  This was an amazing experience that I highly recommend to any panda lover.  My main priority was having a panda on my lap!  I did a lot of research, checking out blogs and forums before I went, but I found it still very confusing with lots of conflicting reports.  So, I wanted to take the time to explain my experience.

We went on a Monday because lots of forums I had read up on suggested going on a non-weekend.  This turned out true as the park was pretty empty, but that might have also been because it was quite cold.  One forum post I read suggested getting to the park before it opens at 8am, and we arrived around 8:15am.  This turned out to be over-kill.  The staff at the park are simply not ready to open at 8am.  The pandas are still inside (perhaps because it was cold?) and we peeked through some facility windows to see pandas eating bamboo inside.  The first panda feeding outdoors (bamboo) happens at 9am, and that's when the park really opens.  Between 8:15am and 9am we wandered around looking for pandas inside buildings we could sneak a peek at, so I would suggest arriving closer to 9am.

At 9am the staff place bunches of bamboo into the ground along viewing areas and the pandas are content to chew on the bamboo in front of audiences.  There is a barrier between you and the pandas, sort of like at a zoo.  Tour groups start to come in at 9am, so it can get pretty crowded.  The pandas are divided into adults, sub-adults (over 1-year old), and cubs (less than 1 year old).

This was the first panda we saw eating (an adult)

We were much closer to this second panda we saw eating (another adult)

Four panda cubs eating!

As I said, my priority was having a panda to cuddle with on my lap.  We asked people (most of the group spoke Chinese, which is immensely helpful since I don't) where and when we could do this, and they directed us to a building that's very close to the Sunshine Panda Nursery.  The folks there said I would have to give a 1000RMB ($150US) donation and to come back at around 9:20am.  While I had expected a long line of people wanting to do this, turns out I was the first person who wanted cuddle with a panda.  It was past 9:20am and unfortunately the staff wasn't ready still.  We took turns waiting in line and went over to the panda nursery right next door where there were pandas that were just a few months old.

The panda babies are all behind glass in an indoor facility, but this one guy was super active and gnawing on the crib banister.

I'm not sure when the staff was finally ready, maybe around 10am or so, but eventually they came out and asked for my donation, asked me to sign a book documenting that I donated, and allowed me inside the building.  You are allowed two cameras and a video camera that the staff will operate, but no one else is allowed to go in with you.  Some forums say the staff allowed a friend in, but this is simply not the case anymore.  One of the staffers spoke excellent English and directed me to put on booties on my feet and gave me a smock and gloves to wear.  We waited for the panda to come out and then they directed me to sit with her.  It was a little chaotic as there were lots of people around documenting and there is a panda-keeper as well.  My panda's name was Yuan Yuan and she was about 1-year old (a sub-adult).  The whole experience lasted only two minutes, but it was amazing!  You can see the video below:

  

Afterwards I thanked the staff profusely and received a certificate of donation and a mouse pad with two panda cubs on it.  The staff told one of the Chinese speakers in our group that they were thinking about canceling the panda cuddling activity soon.  We're not sure how soon, but at least in December I took a quick glance at the other names in the booklet at there were only about 7 people a day cuddling with the pandas.  Perhaps it's just not economically worth it when they are so well-funded anyway.  

I was on such a high from my panda cuddle!  After we walked around the park some more and watched red pandas for a while which are very active and entertaining.  

We also watched the Panda Breeding movie which is a little disturbing but informative. There is a cafe on the premises as well as several gift shops.  They are building a new Panda Museum which looks great on the outside.  The current panda museum leaves much to be desired and looks very dated.  The park is all outdoors, is very large, and there aren't many options for heating (the cafe had a small space heater available for customers).

For more videos check out my YouTube site.

All in all it's a great experience that I highly recommend!