A long‑awaited visit to the Chengdu Panda Research Centre, a smooth flight to Shanghai, a chaotic airport exit, and a cancelled skyline trip thanks to heavy smog.
Chengdu.
Today, before moving on to Shanghai, we visited the Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Centre, a stop everyone on the trip had been looking forward to.
Panda Research Centre
We were taken to the Panda Breeding and Research Centre, where our guide did an excellent job of showing us around and making sure we saw as much as possible in the few hours we had. We learned how the breeding programme worked, then wandered through the grounds to see the pandas.
They all looked happy, and the enclosures were spacious and natural, far better than some zoos I’ve visited. I took hundreds of photos, and if I lived nearby, I’d probably spend every weekend photographing pandas.
I was also pleasantly surprised by the souvenir prices. I’d expected inflated tourist rates, but everything was excellent value. I bought a panda T‑shirt and a couple of cuddly pandas for my niece. In many places, the cheaper souvenirs are outside the attraction, not here. If you visit, buy your gifts inside; the quality and value are excellent.
About the Chengdu Panda Research Centre.
The Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding and Research Centre is a public, non‑profit institute dedicated to giant pandas, red pandas, and other rare species. Founded in 1987 with just six rescued pandas, it had recorded 124 panda births by 2008, bringing its captive population to 83. Its goal is to be a world‑class research facility, conservation centre, and educational tourism destination.
Shanghai.
After our panda visit, we travelled to Chengdu airport. Lunch was a Subway sandwich, pre‑ordered and delivered shortly after we arrived. Some people ate theirs immediately, while I saved mine for the departure lounge. The drinks, however, had to be finished on the spot because we couldn’t take them through security. This was the first time on the trip when the organisation felt a bit off.
When we landed in Shanghai, we had to wait for our coach because of a backlog of vehicles trying to leave the airport. As we crawled along, the Maglev train shot past us. We were told the 40–60-minute coach journey would take just seven minutes on the train. Considering it took us half an hour to reach our coach, perhaps we should have taken the Maglev.
We were supposed to go up the Jin Mao Tower this evening to watch the city light up as dusk fell, but the smog was so thick we wouldn’t have seen a thing. The trip was cancelled, and I headed to my room for an early night.
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