Attraction - Giant Panda Breeding Research Base (Xiongmao Jidi) Review
- Michael
- Nov 7, 2019
- 3 min read
Updated: May 26, 2020
Go early, it's worth it! (+ HiPanda Bus)
5*
Thanks to the helpful TripAdvisor community, we understood that the earlier you go the better the experience as the pandas are more active and there'll be less crowds. We used Trip dot com to buy tickets online, it was very simple and useful; once purchased (no extra fees) you're sent a QR code, and on the day you just wave this over the scanners and you're straight into the park!
We decided to get the metro to Panda Avenue station and look for the HiPanda shuttle bus, despite most sites online not mentioning it (perhaps as they're not allowed?). As others state, it was easy to find when exiting the station via Exit A. As we had bought park entry tickets already, we couldn't utilise the option of buying tickets at the Kiosk and getting the bus included, however it was only 2RMB per person for the trip anyway; they give you a QR code (just take a picture on your phone) and you show it to the bus driver and you're ready to go. The buses leave regularly and the journey is under 10 minutes. The reason I include all this information is to act as an update as the last review that mentions this service states you should walk right when leaving the park after your visit. We found that this was no longer the case (as of November 7th); it looks like they now have their own drop-off/pick-up spot away from the other coaches and taxis. This is directly opposite the park, and will be from where you are dropped off. Basically when you leave the park, walk forward and you'll see the yellow HiPanda kiosk. It is 2RMB pp for the return trip also; very convenient!
Now for the research base itself... it was BRILLIANT! Please try and go early if you can. We arrived at the gates at 8am, shortly after opening which is 7:30am, this only required waking up at 6:30am (leaving from Chengdu Second People's Hospital station). There were hardly any people about and I had pre downloaded a map on my phone with a recommended route. We soon came across an adult panda playing some games to get his food and we were only two of several people to be there watching, it was amazing! Afterwards we came across some panda's indoors, eating bamboo close to the window. We saw several other enclosures and visited the walk-through Red Panda section which was cool. Eventually we came to the nurseries and young panda sections, it was still early but it was already getting crowded. Everyone wants to get a view of the tiny pandas, we saw one in an incubator and then saw a few older, but still young, pandas playing in a creche type room, and a keeper was playing with them which was lovely to watch.
The park itself is immaculately maintained, the vegetation is spectacular, Black Swan Lake was a welcome retreat nestled within the site, and services such as the bathrooms are some of the nicest we've observed in China, a pleasant surprise. There are decent places to eat, especially around the lake area, and English signposting and information is excellent for foreign guests. The extra attractions like the discovery centre, panda kitchen and so-on, ensure that you learn about, and develop an understanding of pandas, rather than just simply seeing them for the day, and these features weren't that busy when we visited. My only negative comment is that a few areas were closed for maintenance, perhaps as it is the start of winter, like the cinema, and several of the outdoor enclosures, alas this doesn't merit a reduction from 5* to 4*.
You can cover the whole park in roughly 3 hours. We stayed for about 4 hours, spending time by the lake as well. It is a great place to go being a scientific research base as it differs from zoo's which are more public oriented and perhaps don't treat animals as nicely.
In conclusion, for the combined total of just 110RMB (2×Adult), the experience was far beyond 'worth it', I absolutely recommend it to anyone visiting Chengdu, though I'm sure it's on most peoples itineraries anyway.
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