Chengdu's Giant Panda Breeding Research Base is home to over 80 of China's iconic pandas. Most are of the familiar black and white variety, but the Base is also home to a number of the smaller, lesser-known red pandas.

 You'll view the animals eating and at play in a carefully maintained habitat that is as close to their natural environment as possible. You'll also learn how scientists and ecologists are working to protect the few remaining wild pandas and expand the captive population. On that last note, over 100 bears have been born at the Base since 1987.

The Base became even more important after the Sichuan earthquake of 2008, with eight bears sent here from the badly damaged Wolong reserve. Your visit provides both moral and financial support for the ongoing conservation effort.