Photo: Courtesy of the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding

The world's first interactive panda-themed museum opened on Wednesday in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, one of the major habitats for pandas.

Construction on the museum, located in the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, started in August 2019, one employee from the base told the Global Times on Wednesday.

The museum, covering an area of 7,179 square meters, has seven exhibition areas, including "Discovering Giant Pandas," "Pandas in Danger" and "Giant Panda Conservation," so visitors may better understand these rare animals and increase environmental protection awareness.

For example, the museum has some important relics from the Church of Dengchigou, which was built in 1839 by French explorer Father Armand David in a village in Sichuan Province.

David brought back the first panda to France, and even though the panda was already dead, this marked the animal's first introduction to the rest of the world. Today David is seen as a key person who helped giant pandas step into the global spotlight.

The day David saw his first live panda was April 1, 1869,  the day when he  designated the giant panda was discovered.

Another main draw of the museum is its interactive exhibitions.

Photo: Courtesy of the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding

A large number of field research tools are available in exhibition areas for visitors to try out so they may learn about the difficulties and challenges of researching and protecting giant pandas. 

The giant panda skeletons are also on display at the museum. Through interactive devices and the combination of sound and light, visitors will be able to experience the living environment giant pandas enjoyed in prehistoric times and learn about the evolution of giant pandas. The exhibit also introduces other animals that lived during the same period as giant pandas.

The museum is free of charge, but  the number of visitors will be capped at 450 one time due to COVID-19 restrictions.