Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding

If you’re visiting Sichuan, or especially, Chengdu, then this has to be at the top of your list, and at around 60 RMB (about £6) for entry, it’s an absolute bargain!

Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding (成都大熊猫繁育研究基地).

First of all, there are the Pandas, and there are a lot of them, but secondly, this is more than just Pandas. Chengdu, which is about 40 minutes’ drive from the Chengdu Panda Base, is a nice city. It’s relatively clean and a little less chaotic than somewhere like Beijing, but even so, it’s still a huge, noisy, sprawling city. When you get to the Chengdu Panda Base, you will notice how calm and peaceful this place is, even with all the tourists it rightfully attracts.

Getting to the Chengdu Panda Centre from Chengdu is easy. Yes, you can take a cab or use a ride-sharing service like Didi Dache, but taking a bus from central Chengdu is also not difficult and is, of course, super cheap.

We stayed in a central Chengdu hotel with a bargain price of around £20/night including breakfast, but that did mean a couple of bus journeys to reach the Chengdu Panda Base. However, for a little more, you could consider something like the Crown Plaza Chengdu Panda Garden for around £50/night. The Crown will get you much closer, gives you 5-star accommodation and is only around 5 minutes’ drive/taxi from the Chengdu Panda Base or a 15-20 minute walk. For those of you who choose to walk, it’s really quite a simple journey, nothing too complicated, little chance for you to get lost, but be advised that there are parts of the journey that do not have footpaths so you will be walking along the side of the road making this option a little less family-friendly for those with younger children.

In my experience, the Chinese car drivers are relatively respectful of pedestrians, giving plenty of space to other road users and slowing down when sharing the same piece of asphalt. That said, be warned that you will probably hear the car horn repeatedly. Just to build on that, the horn tends to be used so that you (or someone else) knows the car is there rather than as an act of aggression or frustration. Visiting Europeans might first think that Chinese drivers have serious anger issues, but I think you’ll find that in most cases, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Of course, basic road safety, whether you are with children or not, should still prevail:

• Walk facing the oncoming traffic so that you can see and act if there is any sign of danger.
• Always look left, right, and left again before crossing, keep checking all the way across the road.
• For those visiting from the UK, remember, they drive on the other side of the road, so look and look again!
• Roads are wide in China, but you should still try not to run unless you need to; walking will lower your chances of tripping and falling into potential danger.
• Try to walk in single file where possible so that you’re not extending too far into the road.
• Be visible, you probably won’t have a hi-visibility jacket with you on a holiday, but choose bright clothes where possible.
• Focus on walking, put the phone away, look at the road, be aware of what’s around you, come on people, this is common sense!
• If you must listen to music, keep the volume low; you want to be able to hear what is going on around you.

The Chengdu Panda Base has bilingual notices around the facility catering to those that can read either Chinese or English, so finding your way around will not be terribly difficult for many visitors.

BIG PANDA, BABY PANDA, RED PANDA AND MORE PANDA…

The Chengdu Panda Base is a breeding center, and they have a remarkably successful breeding program there, making this one of the best opportunities to see Pandas anywhere in the world. This is not just another zoo, and for those that might have read about animal cruelty in China, such as the world’s saddest polar bear, you will be pleased to hear that this is nothing like that. You will notice the level of care these animals receive, and the staff here generally appear to care, just watch feeding time with the baby pandas to see what I mean.

The animals stay in big open spaces, they are well-fed, and looked after by people that really care about them. I’m not suggesting that they might not be happier in the wild, but they certainly wouldn’t have such a good diet if they were left to fend for themselves.

As for the best time to visit; aim for an early start. You want to be there when feeding time begins which is around 08.30-10.00 and definitely before 2 pm in the warmer months. Pandas like it cool; they’re much more active if it’s cool and much more likely to go hide indoors if it gets too warm. On that point, this is one area that the Chengdu Panda Base clearly differs from a zoo in that the emphasis is not on displaying the animals; if they want to go inside, then they are allowed to do so, even if that means the visitors can’t see them, or certainly can’t see them easily.

I would suggest you are somewhere near the panda kindergarten area during feeding time as the youngsters are far more active and playful than the elders and are especially fun to watch when it is feeding time. That said, the adults, whilst significantly less active, are also quite cute during the feeding time.

Don’t forget to look out for the rarer and lesser-known Red Pandas as well!

Speaking of feeding time, Chengdu Panda Base is a large facility with plenty of options for sitting down and eating, either the food you brought yourself or the food available at the site. You will probably notice a fairly obvious split between locals and tourists, the tourists being the ones that are buying food within the facility. My suggestion is to do as the locals do, visit a couple of market stalls or food stores and buy a bag full of mixed snacks, a few drinks, certainly enough to get you through a full day as you will easily lose a day in this place. You’ll find plenty of seating areas, some under cover and some not, all around the Chengdu Panda Base, so find a spot, sit down and break out a picnic. You’ll save some money and have much more choice, and you’ll also be sure you’ve got the fussiest eaters covered as you are more likely to find the snacks that everyone likes from a supermarket than from a few cafes.

For those hoping to see the really tiny Panda, aim for August and September when Pandas typically give birth, but remember, August will be a hot month, for both you and the panda, and as such, the panda may choose to stay inside rather than face the blazing Sichuan sun.

MORE THAN JUST PANDAS

Of course, for such a huge facility, pandas are not the only things you’re going to see. For one thing, you’ll see plenty of bamboo. There are over 1000 types of bamboo, and walking around Chengdu Panda Base, you’ll notice many different types.

Check out the Giant Panda Museum which will really add an element of education to your trip and ensure you are well informed and guarantees to provide you with some unusual, scary, or impressive facts about these amazing creatures.

Remember to check out the little Panda Post Office which will allow you to send Panda postcards to your friends and family back home and will include a cute little panda-shaped postmark.

You’ll also find a butterfly collection; these are not live specimens but make quite an interesting addition to the trip and of course, look quite wonderful, albeit you are left to wonder how much nicer it might have been to see them alive.

There is

a lake and rose garden, peacocks, and various other birds. You’re going to find a lot to look at.

Take plenty of drinks and plenty of snacks, rush to see the feeding time, and then slow down and enjoy the rest of your day in this marvelous facility.