Giant panda Ge Ge eats bamboo shoots at Tianjin Zoo in north China's Tianjin, Jan. 21, 2024. The giant panda house in the zoo reopened after three months of renovation. (Xinhua/Li Ran)

The first phase of the Beijing base of the national giant panda conservation and research center, which has attracted considerable attention, is scheduled to open for operations within the next year. A total of 40 giant pandas are expected to settle in the Qinglonghu town, Fangshan district of Beijing, according to an opening ceremony held on Wednesday.

According to a press release Fangshan district government sent to the Global Times, the panda base covers a total area of about 2,000 mu (133 hectares), and plans to introduce 50 giant pandas. The first phase covers an area of 952 mu, and it will introduce 40 giant pandas and animals including golden monkeys and red pandas, as well as the construction of the Giant Panda Cultural Exchange Center, which is planned to be open to public within 2025.

The second and third phases of the project as reserved space will cover an area of about 1,048 mu and will be launched at an opportune time according to the construction situation. 

After the National Forestry and Grassland Administration's preliminary demonstration and investigation, the base is located in the Qinglong Lake Forest Park, which is known as "the most beautiful hilly forest park," adjacent to Chongqing Reservoir and the center of Qinglong Lake town, with superior ecological resources and dense vegetation. It is suitable for giant panda's survival and habitat.

After the completion of the site, the building will be hidden in the natural environment to give pandas the best living environment and tourists great tour experience and achieve a harmonious coexistence of human and pandas, and also promote the breeding and protection of the national giant panda.

Represented by the panda base, the construction of major projects in Fangshan district in 2024 is in full swing.