Our first stop was a late lunch and our first introduction to authentic Schezwan food. The mild dishes were hot enough for me. Rice and pumpkin are our favorite foods to reduce the burning on the tongue and lips. We then visited the travel agency that arranged our tour. After getting settled into our hotel we had a two-hour walking tour and dinner.
The following day, Saturday, we went to the Panda Breeding Center outside of Chengdu. This is the reason we stopped at Chengdu. This Center has raised the most giant pandas in the world. The adults are kept in very large enclosures. They have a space with maybe 50 to 100 trees in each area. Giant pandas are solitary animals in the wild, so they are kept in separate areas except when breeding is being encouraged.
The juveniles are kept in a smaller area with approximately a dozen trees. They also have a series of man made jungle gym type devises and plastic toys. The juveniles range from 1-½ years to three years old. They are cute.
The youngest giant panda we saw was around three months old. It is kept in a smaller enclosure with its mother. This was the only enclosure in the Center, which is comparable in size to the best enclosures in a zoo.
We next visited the red pandas. They also had significant space in which to roam. The red pandas are more active than the giant pandas and are much smaller.
Our final stop in the Center is Swan Lake. White and black swans as well as other birds visit the lake. They are not captive animals.
And here is Marsha waiting for me to finish following the swans.
On the way back to town we stopped at a beautiful outdoor restaurant. We had a nice rest and a good meal.
On the way back to town we stopped at a beautiful outdoor restaurant. We had a nice rest and a good meal.
In the afternoon we visited the Remini Park (the People’s Park) near the center of Chengdu. A large park smaller than New York’s Central Park but close to the size of Chicago’s Grant Park. The park has existed under different names for a couple of hundred years. The Japanese bombed the park a couple of times during WWII. The Chinese view the Japanese War, late 1930’s to1945 the way we view the Nazi regime. Senseless atrocities with much mass murder and forced labor. What can be the military value of bombing a public park on a Sunday afternoon? [Below is a memorial for the people killed in the park.]
The Park is very well utilized. People visit the two tea houses for more than tea. For the price of a pot of tea, you can sit and play cards or mahjong for hours. In a couple of different areas musicians are jamming. These are pick-up groups, whomever comes with an instrument plays.
Some groups play Western music and some groups play traditional Eastern music.
The youngsters have a giant sandbox and several streams in which they try to catch very small fish with nets.
Another plaza had a commercial group with music and games. Except for the food serving places there is no charge for using the park.
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