A New Panda Base in Sichuan?

By Chuan-X Panda
Updated: Nov. 09, 2025 09:25 AM

The New Panda Base is Scheduled to Open at the beginning of 2026.

According to reports, the new Mianyang Base of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda is expected to officially begin operations in early 2026, after being postponed from the originally scheduled date of October 2025. On November 4, 2025, the Mianyang Panda Base welcomed 13 giant pandas from the Wolong Shenshuping Panda Base and the Dujiangyan Panda Base. On the same day, the Mianyang Base of the China Giant Panda Conservation and Research Center, which took three years to construct, also commenced trial operations.

The Mianyang Panda Base is located in the Guloushan Ecological Park, Science and Technology City New District, Mianyang City, and is jointly constructed by the Mianyang Municipal Government and the China Giant Panda Conservation and Research Center.

The first phase of the Mianyang Giant Panda Base is planned to open by the beginning of 2026. The Mianyang Base Project (Phase I) of the China Giant Panda Protection and Research Center includes six functional areas: the entrance portal area, secret realm area, forest and valley area, bamboo forest screen area, supporting construction technology integration area, and disease control and rescue area. The first phase of the project covers an area of 121.2 hectares (1,818 acres), with an investment of 1,012,074,400 yuan.

The 13 newly arrived giant pandas are "Xixi," "Yaxiang," "Caocao," "Meiling," "Meixi," "Zhuling," "Yinke," "Bosi," "Huabao," "Jinbaobao," "Xingxing," "Yiyi," and "Suyang." After they complete their adaptation period, the Mianyang Base will open to the public at an appropriate time. Among them are lively adolescent pandas, adult giant pandas, and older giant pandas. The base has made advance preparations in terms of facility setup, food supply, and staffing. The panda caretakers and veterinary staff will closely monitor the health and adaptation of the giant pandas through daily care, behavioral observations, and 24-hour surveillance. We await the official announcement of the base's opening.

Panda Caocao

Why is the New Panda Base in Mianyang?

According to the fourth national survey of giant pandas, there are 418 wild giant pandas in Mianyang, accounting for 22.4% of the global wild giant panda population, ranking first in the country in terms of quantity. In September 2022, the Mianyang Municipal Government signed a "Cooperation Agreement on Strengthening the Protection and Research of Giant Pandas in Minshan Mountain" with the China Giant Panda Conservation and Research Center, planning to jointly build a comprehensive base integrating protection, monitoring, scientific research, breeding, and education functions within the scope of Mianyang City. According to the previous plan, after the completion of the Mianyang base, it will maintain a scale of around 50 captive giant pandas throughout the year.

Looking forward to the another iconic panda base in Sichuan Province, the hometown of pandas, where panda enthusiasts will have more opportunities to observe pandas up close.