Giant pandas get new spacious, smart green home at Beijing Zoo

Giant panda Fu Jiang is pictured at an outdoor activity area of a new giant panda facility at the Beijing Zoo in Beijing, capital of China, July 15, 2026. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

BEIJING, July 15 (Xinhua) -- A new home for giant pandas is set to welcome its first human visitors on Thursday, with this facility offering the fluffy national treasures a smarter, roomier and more nature-like living haven as the zoo celebrates its 120th anniversary this year with the landmark project.

Unveiling a 13,000-square-meter state-of-the-art facility, Beijing Zoo has blended wilderness-inspired design with cutting-edge technology to create a sprawling pavilion that features four indoor exhibition halls, five animal enclosures and five outdoor exercise areas.

The pavilion recreates wild habitat elements with undulating terrain and simulated stream systems, allowing pandas to move freely between indoor and outdoor areas, said Lu Yanping, deputy head of the zoo.

Fixed perches, along with movable enrichment items such as tires and balls, have been installed, Lu added.

As China's first giant panda venue with the highest three-star green building rating, the pavilion sets a new benchmark for eco-friendly facilities of its kind. Adopting environmentally friendly building materials for its exterior facade, the venue is fitted with intelligent temperature control and fresh air ventilation systems. A tailored smart management system integrates security monitoring, health tracking and automatic environmental regulation, while a dedicated timed spray cooling system has also been installed to help pandas beat the summer heat.

Designed with a circular visitor route, the new pavilion effectively eases passenger flow pressure.

The first five residents, Meng Lan, Bai Tian, Ji Nian, Fu Jiang and Fu Xing, have already settled in and are adapting well. Among them, Meng Lan, a zoo celebrity known for his lively and mischievous personality, rose to global fame in December 2021 when he briefly "escaped" his old enclosure by stepping on a red toy ball, popping his head over the wall to greet startled visitors, who recorded the incident with their phones. The moment went viral across social media worldwide.

For Meng Lan's new quarters, the zoo has taken extra precautions. "His enclosure includes a rocky resting area where he can retreat from visitor sightlines," said Mou Ningning, another deputy head of the zoo. "We've also made the outer walls and smooth inner surfaces climb-proof to ensure his safety."

Beijing Zoo, founded in 1906, was China's first public zoo open to visitors. It began keeping giant pandas in 1955 and built dedicated panda halls for the 1990 Asian Games and the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Currently, the zoo is home to 10 giant pandas.

Following the opening of the new pavilion, the adjacent Asian Games panda hall will jointly host public exhibitions, while the Olympic panda hall will temporarily serve as a backup resting area for pandas. A rotational exhibition system will be implemented, meaning visitors may encounter different fluffy panda stars on each visit, bringing fresh surprises every time, Lu explained.