Da Xiong Mao!

The main reason we stopped in Chengdu instead of flying straight to Xian was to see the pandas at the breeding and research center. We weren't sure if it would be worth it, but you can't go to China and not see the pandas, so there you go.

Playing on the slide.

In Chinese, they call pandas da xiong mao, which means "big bear cat." It's a completely apt description--they seem exactly like a cross between a bear and a cat. They are the cutest things on the planet! You really have to see them in action to get a sense of their cuteness, especially the way they lumber around clumsily and eat bamboo leaves as if they were candy bars. They have these pseudo-thumbs that allow them to grasp the bamboo, and they look strangely humanlike as they eat.

Which is pretty much all they do--eat and sleep. We went in the morning during feeding time so we could be sure to see them in action. Lucky for us (and you), we can take videos with our digital camera. Here's a video of the young panda cubs playing around.






Did you notice the one just lying there chowing down? He basically buried himself in bamboo and ate his way through it the entire time we were there. So funny!

We also got to see some red pandas, which look a lot like raccoons, only cuter. Sadly, we didn't get any pictures of their faces, but you get the idea.

Red panda chowing down.

The final verdict: It was more than worth it to stop in Chengdu to get to see so many pandas in action. They are soo funny! It's like seeing cute, furry aliens--it's hard to believe these creatures exist on our planet, although they might not for much longer. The breeding program hasn't been as successful as they'd hoped, and habitat destruction is still a big problem. Time will tell, I guess--at least China seems committed to keeping them around.

Chengdu

Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan province, home to spicy food, bamboo forests, and pandas! At a guesthouse in the Philippines I'd picked up a book called The Crippled Tree by Han Suyin. It tells the story of her grandparents, parents, and then herself as a child, and the first part is set in Chengdu. I learned more about China from that book than anything else, and I was excited to see Chengdu for myself.

Obviously, things have changed. Apart from the pandas, there's not that much to see in Chengdu itself, although there are several great places to in the surrounding area. We didn't have time or money for any of that, so we stuck to the city.

We went to the famous River Viewing Park, home to this crazy pavillion and all kinds of different bamboo.

River viewing pavillion.

Better yet, we went to the Green Ram Daoist temple, which Suyin describes in her book. If I hadn't read The Crippled Tree, I wouldn't have been too impressed, but I could picture what it was like in the early 1900s when her father was young and then later when she herself visited it.

Ram at the Green Ram temple.

You rub the ram's neck and whisper your wish in its ear, and then the ram is supposed make it come true. I won't tell what I wished for! (Actually, I don't really remember.)