Rec and Sports

Visit Chinese Pandas In Beijing

Super Kungfu Panda lovers, how could you leave Beijing without seeing real pandas!

Every day, keen visitors from around the world pack the Beijing Zoo for a look at this cute and precious animal regarded as Chinas national treasure.

The zoo was opened in the early 1900s, around the last years of the Qing dynasty. It was Chinas first zoo ever. It is now home to nearly 6,000 animals and over 500 species. Some of the species are rarely seen out of China, such as golden monkeys, Siberian tigers, and of course, giant pandas.[I:http://www.uniquearticlewizard.com/extras/pics/jiexu520image34.jpg]

The panda is undoubtedly the big star in the zoo!

As some say, the only thing in the world that is funnier than a panda is a panda playing with another panda! One bearhugs another from behind, pushes, and they roll like a X-size football. When they are tired, they lie on their back, and stretch out their legs. The chubby movements mean you cant stop laughing. And you will be wondering if these pandas were on their beach vacation, because the amusing eye circles so look like sunglasses!

Pandas in the Beijing Zoo do know Kungfu, and their favorite sport? Climbing tree! When the weather is hot, they will climb up a high tree, and find themselves a shady spot for a nap.

The panda has a vegetarian diet, and bamboo leaves are their favorite food. Here in the Beijing Zoo, pandas eat a special Jianzhu bamboo found only in Chinas Sichun province. However, as you may know, pandas were carnivores a million years ago, just like tigers and leopards. Zoologists still dont know the reason why they changed to this diet.

The zoo allows panda lovers to donate money for the protection of this rare species in China. Today, only about 1,000 pandas still survive. The Chinese consider pandas a national treasure because pandas roamed the earth several millions of years ago, and few species from that time survive till this day. That is why people call it a living fossil. No wonder the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) chooses panda as its symbol.

On very rare occasions, the Chinese government gives pandas to a foreign country as a symbol of friendship. So if youve ever seen a panda in San Diego or Berlin, feel lucky.[I:http://www.uniquearticlewizard.com/extras/pics/jiexu520thumb35.jpg]

You are free to take photos of pandas in the zoo, but you have to keep your flash off, because that could scare the pandas away. Pandas are very shy.

If you have a little cash to spend, there are all kinds of panda gifts for you to bring home. A baby panda toy runs 50 to 60 RMB (about $10), a panda theme T-shirt goes for about 70 RMB, and a key chain with cute panda image sells for just 10 RMB.