July 20, 2014

CHENGDU

Sichuan Province holds a special memory for Dawn and me. Other than where Dawn worked in Henan, this is the province in which we have spent the most amount of time in China. It is an unbelievably diverse and beautiful place, ranging from large cities to a culture and landscape that is very close to its neighbor Tibet. While still incredibly fast moving and cosmopolitan, Chengdu still retains a little of its “wild west” atmosphere, while feeling more approachable and the people a little more friendly. When you have such great food, more tolerable weather (especially compared to the oppressive desert heat of Xian), breathtaking mountains and giant pandas…how could you not be in a good mood!

Chengdu Market

Hot Pot Dinner

So, Dawn and I wanted to share Sichuan with the girls and elected to participate is short side excursion with a few members of our trip, a one-night stay in Chengdu and a trip to the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding and Research Center. Dawn and I had visited the Center 12 years ago, but really wanted the girls to see the Pandas. We didn’t feel a heritage trip could be complete without seeing the source of such intense national pride!

Bamboo Forest

Baby Panda

Mama Panda

It was definitely the right call and we had an incredible day visiting the pandas.   An option for those visiting the Panda Center is to purchase an elective “Panda Experience.” If you participate you receive a special introduction and panda course from a zoo keeper, you get to help prepare the bamboo for the Pandas’ meals AND you get to hold a baby panda. That’s right; you get to get up and close to an actual panda. The catch – it’s really expensive. When Dawn and I were here 12 years ago you could pay to hold a panda for about 100 Yuan (less than 13 US dollars). It now cost 2,000 Yuan ($340 US dollars). Like everything in China, especially since joining the WTO, prices reflect a common world price. They have also realized a prime fund raising opportunity and taken advantage of it!

So, that’s a lot of money. The girls have been saving their money for souvenirs and were given spending money by their grandparents on both sides (they are so spoiled). After little thought by Xixi and a lot of thought by Jing, both decided to use the money they had saved to pay for the Panda experience. Our guide in Chengdu, Ray, worked his magic and talked the staff into letting me accompany the girls to photograph the experience.

Both girls will tell you it was worth every penny. The photos give a glimpse into their joy, but words can’t describe this new memory that will be added to their recollection of this trip. Mamaw, Papaw, Grandma and Grandpa both girls send you an enthusiastic, “THANK YOU.” There is so much opportunity to buy cheap Chinese souvenirs that will hold little meaning in the coming years. Dawn and I are so happy that they will take this experience, memory and photos home with them.

They limit the number of participants each day and only about 40 guests are allowed to hold the panda. They bring the panda in and put honey on bamboo sticks and on the panda’s paws, to keep it occupied. Then each participant gets a few minutes sitting next to the panda for a photo shoot. You are allowed to put your arm around it and to scratch its belly. The rest of the group is lined up and just captivated by being so close to a panda as they each wait their own turn. The keepers work hard to reduce the stress on the panda and actively monitor the group to ensure everyone is complying with the rules.

We couldn’t avoid the touristy “stuff” completely. As part of the experience, the girls received two stuffed pandas, a framed photo of them with the panda, a t-shirt and a certificate proclaiming how their donation will help panda preservation…pretty cool.

Our last two trips to China have been focused on the adoptions and not on sight-seeing. So it’s been awhile since we’ve been to the major tourists sights in China. Like in the other places we have visited over the last 15 days (Great Wall, Terra Cotta Warriors…) Dawn and I were struck by the number of Chinese tourists at the panda center. It was absolutely jammed with people. When we travelled to these places in 2002 it was a handful of Chinese tourists and many more foreign tourists. You can definitely see how the wealth and standard of living has increased for the Chinese during that time-period. It is so great to see the Chinese getting to enjoy their national treasures.

We are now in Guilin which is famous for the Li River. When you see a photo of China with a winding river, single fisherman and mountains in the background (but close to the river) it’s probably Guilin. We are spending 2 nights here and then taking a river cruise to a rustic mountain retreat for a night. Another post will follow from Guilin and then I’m not sure about our internet access. Our time in China is almost over, only three more nights. Then it’s off to Vietnam and an entirely new set of adventures.