Besides being famous for spicy Sichuan food, Chengdu is also known for its panda bear population so I was excited to visit to the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base, home to almost 50 giant and red pandas (of only 1,000 pandas in the world). The research base is one of eleven panda reserves in the country dedicated to the survival and breeding of the panda population. We even paid a hefty sum so that I could actually hug a panda (in a protective gown and face mask of course, given the H1N1 flu season), which felt like a giant, cuddly teddy bear!
That is amazing! I can't believe you actually hugged a panda bear!
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