New heights for giant pandas at Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

The Xining Panda House opened in 2019 and is the first giant panda house in northwest China’s Qinghai Province.

One female and three male pandas born at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Southwest China’s Sichuan Province are on loan for three years to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau zoo. The animals became the first giant pandas to settle in the plateau city of Xining.

Xining is over 2,260 meters above sea level. Experts said the panda settlement on the plateau can help expand the species' adaptive habitat range.

Covering an area of 9,000 square meters with a building 4,617 square meters in size, Xining Panda House is currently the largest of its kind in China, with independent indoor and outdoor activity spaces and seating areas for the pandas. The misting system is designed to maintain the right temperature and humidity for pandas. The Panda House is also equipped with a medical room for regular health checks.

To allow pandas to adapt to life at high altitudes, professional staff at Xining Panda house take good care of their nutrition and health. Bamboo is airlifted from Chengdu, the capital of southwest China’s Sichuan Province, every two days to ensure the safety and freshness of the food. Every day, zookeepers use panda’s favorite food such as apples to lure them into exercise. The zoo routinely invites experts from the Chengdu base to give instructions.

Since it opened, the panda house has attracted millions of tourists from across the world.