Xiang Xiang Settles Into Sichuan Life as Her Bond With Japan Endures

Apples, rain and a new routine at Bifengxia

Xiang Xiang sat outdoors in a light rain in late August, crunching apples as visitors aimed their cameras at her enclosure at the Bifengxia base in Ya'an, Sichuan. Born at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo in June 2017 and returned to China in February 2023, the panda has become a familiar attraction in a mountain valley far from the city where she first won a devoted following.

Her keepers describe a bear who has grown comfortable with her surroundings, eats eagerly and remains calm when visitors gather. Those everyday details matter to the fans who watched her grow up in Japan and worried about how she would manage a long journey, unfamiliar voices and a different home.

Xiang Xiang reached China at breeding age. After landing in Chengdu, she traveled by truck to the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda's Bifengxia base. A month in quarantine came before a gradual introduction to her enclosure and the people responsible for her care.

Bifengxia's cool, misty hills and dense bamboo groves resemble the environment where wild pandas live. Mild summers, damp winters and regular rain and fog help pandas settle after international moves. Keepers, veterinarians and nutrition staff work together to manage food, monitor behavior and reduce stress, particularly during the first months.

Her first public appearance at the base in October 2023 brought visitors from across China and fans from Japan who had followed her since birth. Since then, her life has connected two places: a research base managing her health and possible future breeding, and a Japanese public whose affection continued after her departure.

How a cautious arrival became a comfortable life

Xiang Xiang's caretakers say the first weeks were the most difficult. The flight, unfamiliar surroundings and a new language of keeper cues made her cautious. Staff reduced noise and disruptions, kept feeding times predictable and used small rewards to build trust.

During her early months, she sometimes stayed behind rocks when crowds appeared. Gradually, she learned the rhythm of the base. She now eats on the feeding platform with people watching and moves comfortably between indoor and outdoor spaces.

Zhao Lanlan, a breeder caring for Xiang Xiang, described that progress during livestreamed exchanges connecting Tokyo and Sichuan. Fans watched online and asked about the panda's daily life. Zhao explained how she was responding to her new home:

She has adapted well to the environment here and enjoys the natural surroundings. Xiang Xiang is calm with visitors and keeps a strong appetite, especially for apples.

Keepers continue to build that relationship through steady voices and contact sessions across protective barriers. They teach husbandry behaviors, meaning actions that help an animal cooperate with routine care. Stationing teaches her to stay in a chosen place, crate practice makes entering a transport crate familiar, and target training encourages her to follow a designated object.

Those exercises make weighing and medical examinations less stressful. The aim is a panda that can take part calmly in the care she needs, with trust developing through repeated, predictable interactions.

Bamboo first, with apples and a firm refusal of carrots

Xiang Xiang begins her mornings with a visual check from keepers and fresh bamboo. Staff record how much she eats and examine stool quality to monitor digestion. Around midday, she often rests in shade or on a platform before later feeding and enrichment sessions.

Fresh bamboo remains the foundation of her diet. Apples serve as treats and rewards during training, while steamed corn buns provide supplemental calories. Tender bamboo shoots join the menu when they are in season. Carrots remain an exception: although many pandas enjoy them, Xiang Xiang keeps declining them, a preference familiar to her fans.

Her meals balance energy and fiber, with variety adjusted to seasonal availability and nutrition:

• Several varieties of fresh bamboo, rotated according to seasonal taste and nutritional needs.
• Apples, including treats used during training.
• Steamed corn buns prepared by keepers for extra calories.
• Tender bamboo shoots during spring growth.
• No carrots, reflecting her persistent preference.

Later activities include scent trails and browse branches, followed by more bamboo and treats. Visitors often see her moving through logs, rolling on grass or sitting upright to peel bamboo.

Logs for climbing, platforms for resting, puzzle feeders that hide food and pools for splashing on warm days give her different ways to spend her time. Indoor rooms provide quiet away from public view. Staff adjust schedules when she shows signs of stress, allowing her welfare to set the pace of the day.

Why Tokyo's attachment was so strong

Ueno Zoo had not seen a panda naturally born and raised there in nearly three decades before Xiang Xiang arrived in June 2017. Her birth prompted a naming campaign with more than 320,000 suggestions, and panda merchandise filled Tokyo shop displays.

Families waited for hours to watch her sleep, wrestle with logs and cling to her mother. Those small moments made her a familiar part of city life and a source of happiness for visitors of different ages.

Her departure brought an emotional farewell. Entry on the final viewing day was restricted to a small group selected by lottery. Tens of thousands applied, but only a fraction could see her before she left. Fans also gathered outside the zoo and at the airport as her flight departed for China.

A visitor attending the farewell expressed the closeness that many followers felt after watching Xiang Xiang grow:

I wanted to breathe the same air as Xiang Xiang. She is adorable whether sleeping or awake.

Yutaka Fukuda, Ueno Zoo's director, had followed her since birth. In thanking her for the happiness she had brought, he also connected her return with the research work awaiting her in China:

She made so many people happy. I hope she contributes to panda conservation research after completing her journey safely.

His remarks spread across social media in Japan, encouraging fans to continue following her life from a distance.

The journey from Ueno to public life in Sichuan

Xiang Xiang's return had been planned earlier, but pandemic travel restrictions delayed it several times. Her February 2023 move brought her into China's conservation system, which supports a species that remains vulnerable in the wild.

The main stages of her journey show why leaving Japan and appearing before visitors in China were separate steps:

• June 2017: Xiang Xiang was born at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo.
• February 2023: She returned to China, arriving in Chengdu before traveling by truck to Bifengxia in Ya'an, Sichuan.
• After arrival: She spent a month in quarantine, followed by a careful introduction to her enclosure and caretakers.
• October 2023: She made her first public appearance at Bifengxia, attracting visitors from China and Japan.
• Late August: Visitors watched her eating apples outdoors in light rain at the base.

Her public debut became a starting point for travel as well as viewing. A Japanese fan group organized a trip to Sichuan not long afterward, and tour groups have continued planning visits around her viewing hours.

Tokyo events helped maintain the connection for people who could not travel. Live feeds from Bifengxia allowed fans to watch her and speak with her caregiver, while a documentary followed her journey.

Zhao Lanlan, who describes Xiang Xiang as smart and quiet, ended one exchange by reassuring followers and inviting them to see her:

We wish her a carefree life. Japanese friends are welcome to visit her in Sichuan and see how well she is doing.

For many longtime admirers, that reassurance shifted attention from concern about the move to interest in the details of her new daily routine.

Why pandas born abroad return to China

Xiang Xiang's journey reflects the agreements behind international panda exchanges. China began sending pandas abroad as gifts in the 1970s, then moved toward research and breeding cooperation in the 1980s.

Under current arrangements, pandas are leased for cooperative projects, and cubs born overseas belong to China. Those terms explain why pandas such as Xiang Xiang return after reaching a certain age. Their moves connect the public role of overseas zoos with the breeding and research work of Chinese conservation centers.

China and Japan continue that cooperation. Adventure World in Wakayama announced that four pandas would return to China when the conservation project's phase ends, following the lease timetable. Tokyo authorities also decided that Xiang Xiang's parents should return earlier than planned for medical care, while the city explores future leases.

Officials in both countries describe these moves as part of a long history of joint research and public education. In May, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning thanked the Japanese institutions caring for pandas and invited their admirers to China:

We thank our Japanese partners for their dedicated care over the years and warmly welcome our Japanese friends to visit the pandas in China.

The returns affect more than zoo collections. Fans must find new ways to follow familiar animals, while institutions continue work on care, breeding and conservation across national borders.

What breeding decisions involve

Xiang Xiang was a young adult when she returned to China. Keepers in Sichuan have said she has not yet been assigned to a breeding pair. No date has been given for that step.

National evaluations guide decisions about possible mates, considering age, health, temperament and genetics. Researchers compare pedigrees, the records of an animal's parents and ancestors, to avoid pairing close relatives and to maintain a diverse population.

Giant panda breeding requires careful timing. Females have a short receptive window, often lasting only a few days once a year. Teams monitor hormone levels, behavior and scent marking to identify the best time for breeding. Natural mating is encouraged, with artificial insemination used when needed. Missing the window can mean waiting another year.

Ueno Zoo director Yutaka Fukuda expressed his hope for Xiang Xiang's future contribution when saying farewell:

I hope Xiang Xiang will one day contribute to conservation research in China.

Her calm temperament helps with husbandry training and public viewing, and is encouraging for later steps in her care. Her keeper in Sichuan described both her character and the kind of life staff want for her:

Xiang Xiang is smart and quiet, and we want her to have a carefree life.

Wild giant pandas are estimated at about 1,860, while roughly 600 live in breeding centers and zoos worldwide. Using those figures, the captive population is about one third the size of the wild population. Scientists share data and compare family records to keep breeding populations healthy as habitat restoration continues in the mountains of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu.

A panda connecting visitors and local businesses

Bifengxia's visitors gather along railings for a glimpse of Xiang Xiang, cheering when she comes out or settles down to eat. Her continuing appeal includes Japanese travelers whose itineraries revolve around the panda they once visited in Tokyo.

In Japan, embassy events brought fans together to watch live feeds from Sichuan. Some attended in raincoats and left messages on walls of blessings. The gatherings gave their affection a place to continue after her return.

Guides in Sichuan answer questions in Japanese and introduce visitors to other destinations, including Jiuzhaigou Valley. Local officials promote routes that combine panda conservation education with travel to the region's scenic places.

Chinese Ambassador to Japan Wu Jianghao used Xiang Xiang's story to encourage visits between the countries and warmer public relations:

Pandas are symbols of goodwill and harmony. We welcome more friends from Japan to visit Sichuan, see Xiang Xiang, and enjoy the beauty of China.

Wakayama faces a different tourism concern as the return of four Adventure World pandas approaches. Cafes, souvenir stands and other businesses near the park are preparing for fewer visitors until new plans are in place. In Japan, further returns have stirred both pride in the conservation partnership and worry about losing animals that draw visitors and affection.

Xiang Xiang's experience shows how those connections can continue after a move. Livestreams, caregiver conversations, a documentary and visits to Sichuan have kept fans involved while her daily life has become more settled. At the center of that attention is a straightforward routine: bamboo, favorite apples, rest, activity and patient care.

What to Know

• Xiang Xiang was born at Ueno Zoo in June 2017 and returned to China in February 2023.
• She lives at the Bifengxia base in Ya'an, Sichuan, and first appeared before visitors there in October 2023.
• Keepers say she has adapted well, remains calm around visitors and has a strong appetite, especially for apples.
• Her diet centers on bamboo, supplemented with apples, steamed corn buns and seasonal bamboo shoots. She refuses carrots.
• Her Tokyo naming campaign attracted more than 320,000 suggestions, and tens of thousands sought places for her final viewing.
• Panda cooperation agreements provide for cubs born overseas to belong to China and return after reaching a certain age.
• Xiang Xiang has not yet been assigned a breeding partner. National evaluations consider health, age, temperament and genetics.
• About 1,860 giant pandas live in the wild, with roughly 600 in breeding centers and zoos worldwide.
• Four Adventure World pandas are scheduled to return under the cooperation timetable, while Tokyo authorities decided on an earlier return for Xiang Xiang's parents for medical care.
• Livestreams and travel to Sichuan continue to connect Xiang Xiang with her Japanese fans.