Lina in China

Today we went to the Panda Research Base in Chengdu. In order to get there we had to take a bus from Chengdu Centre for about 30 minutes.

Once we arrived for a log time we saw no life Giant Panda but pictures instead: Pictures of Panda Babies and Panda Mothers, of newborn Pandas and old Pandas. Every picture came with some facts written in Chinese and English, some facts about the Giant Panda whose natural habitat is around Chengdu in Sichuan, were even written in Japanese.

Then we came in a room with some video installations and some signs telling about the history of the Panda Research Base in Chengdu. It was founded in 1987. But since I was there with Xiaoping, his wife, her parents and aunt and his daughter we were hurrying along and I had no opportunity to read the rest of the story.

Giant Panda Feeding lazylz on Bamboo

Then we finally saw the first real life Panda. It was lazily feeding on Bamboo. But no matter what a Panda does somehow it is always sweet. Here I was also taught what to call a Panda in Chinese: “Chengma” and to make it sweet for the little daughter of Xiaobing we called Chengma Mi Miiiii….

Then we wandered on. The next life we saw some goldfish. Wherever in China there are Goldfish in a lake or pond you can see people see feeding them. Feeding Goldfish seems to be as irresistible to the Chinese like feeding ducks to us.

We came onto some bamboo woods and for me the Panda Research Base was the first time I wandered through a free land bamboo wood. One time I sneaked of the main path to stand between and under the bamboo. It was almost dark between the bamboo stalks and I could here strange sounds, maybe made by insects.

Sichuan has also very big butterflies. They are so big I thought at first that they are small birds. I also saw many other strange insects in the Panda Research Base.

Then we found some more Pandas, I believe they where the young adult Pandas. Berlin used to have one Panda and now has two. But I have never ever seen the Berlin Pandas do anything but eat and sleep, eat and sleep. Maybe these Pandas in Chengdu were more agile since they were young.

The two young Pandas where playing with each other, climbing up and down the Panda Playground, yes these Panda bears were even running. I did not know that a Panda can climb and run and all…

Unfortunately it began to rain now. So we stayed under a tree. The Chengdu family I was in the Panda Research Base with probably assumed it would be a short rain. But rain kept falling and so we covered our heads with plastic bags. Xiaoming even took his whole shirt of to cover his little baby daughter. Chinese men are so caring with there children like I have never seen in Germans.

So anyway we ran for shelter into a nice restaurant. After we had eaten we headed home.