Mainland panda couple for Taiwan arrive in Chengdu
2008-12-23 03:42:52 GMT2008-12-23 11:42:52 (Beijing Time)
Xinhua English
Local residents attend a ceremony to see two giant pandas off at a ceremony held in Ya'an, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Dec. 23, 2008. (Xinhua/Chen Xie)
Local residents attend a ceremony to see two giant pandas off at a ceremony held in Ya'an, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Dec. 23, 2008. The 4-year-old giant pandas, Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan, offered by the Chinese mainland will fly to Taiwan on Tuesday afternoon.(Xinhua/Chen Xie)
Staff of a breeding base see two pandas off at a ceremony held in Ya'an, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Dec. 23, 2008. (Xinhua/Chen Xie)
CHENGDU, Sichuan, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- A pair of giant pandas offered by the Chinese mainland to Taiwan arrived in Chengdu, Sichuan's provincial capital, and would fly to the island on Tuesday afternoon.
The pandas in metal crates arrived at the Shuangliu Airport in Chengdu at around 10:55 a.m. after almost three-hour journey from Ya'an, where they lived.
They will board a Taiwan-bound plane at around 2 p.m. with a week's food, animal experts and keepers from the mainland and Taiwan.
The four-year-old pandas, Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan, will be housed in a four-story building at the Taipei city zoo.
