Wolong Natural Reserve is the third largest national natural reserve in China, boasting of the most complex geographic situations and diverse plant and animal species in Sichuan. It is located in the northwest of Sichuan, approximately 130 kilometers from the capital city Chengdu. The terrain is plateaus and mountains almost one thousand meters above sea level, which are formed because of the plate tectonism. The altitude brings it high contrast of weather among the four seasons of a year. As the main habitat of giant pandas, nowadays, Wolong Natural Reserve mainly aims to protect the giant panda, regional ecological system and virgin forests.

Few people do not know about the giant panda. Their symbolic black and white fur-color distinguishes them well from any other animals. Giant panda, with only about one thousand left in the wild, is also the most well known endangered animal in the world. The rare animal is endemic to China. Since the very beginning, most of the research works on giant panda have been carrying out on-site at the Giant Panda’s natural habitats.

The Wolong Giant Panda Breeding Research Centre was one of the earliest research bases established in the early 1980s by the Government of the People’s Republic of China, focusing on research works on breeding and bamboo ecology. The Centre has two types of ’accommodations’ for giant pandas - the Captive Cages and the Semi-nature Enclosures. Most of the giant pandas in the Centre stay individually in the captive cages, which are in fact large enclosures, each consists of an in-door room and an out-door courtyard. The semi-nature enclosures are very large wild areas but protected by border fences. Those giant pandas that will soon be released back to the wild will be put in the semi-nature enclosures for a long enough period of time for them to adapt to the natural environment. Although food has to be provided, the giant pandas will sleep there, eat there and recover their natural survival skills there until they can be released back to the wild. At the Wolong Center, you can have a close look at those lovely mammals. If you visit in autumn, you may also have the opportunity to see tiny newborns in the nursery. Extra money is needed to sit next to an adult panda or to hold a baby panda.

The region where Wolong is located has by tradition been vulnerable to earthquake, since it stands at the edges of
Himalayas Plate meeting Sichuan Basin Plate. The powerful earthquake broke out on May 13th, 2008 was a slamming blow to the local people and animals. Those poor pandas were so frightened that they held the trunk tightly when people tried to transfer them.  Fortunately, all the pandas have been confirmed safe and transferred to secure places after the powerful earthquake.