PHOTOS ARE ALL FROM BIFENGXIA AND COURTESY PANDAS INTERNATIONAL
We have had barely a moment to catch our breath and a few zzzzzzzzzzz’s and have hit the ground running with a very early morning start for the 2 hour drive to Bifengxia Panda Base. Here is where one of my favorite champions for the Giant Panda, Suzanne Braden and her team work hand in hand with the panda center through her non profit organization PANDAS INTERNATIONAL as U.S. liaison educator and fundraiser for the Giant Pandas of Wolong/Bifengxia.
We are getting a personal tour today , hopefully by director Dr Tang (thank you Suzanne!!), and one thing we are crossing our fingers for is to hopefully get a peek and some photos of the new arrival………our very own Tai Shan from the National Zoo in DC. I’m sure you all have heard Tai arrived in China just a couple of days ago so he may be in strict quarantine still so we will be playing that by ear.
Besides trying to get a glimpse of Tai, the main focus of the day trip to Bifengxia is to take as many photos as possible for my book I am writing , to be released later in 2010. All proceeds go to the pandas of Bifengxia.
Above is a pin I designed which is attached to a card describing the book to give to interested people we meet along the way. I brought a ton of my silicone Project Panda bracelets with too for the kids!!
Below are the Teddy Bear Truffles we brought for some of the gifts too from Moonstruck Chocolates which is a local and YUMMY treat in Portland
READ MORE ABOUT BIFENGXIA AT THE WOLONG PANDA CLUB SITE
AND TODAY IS THE DAY TO SEE JUST HOW HIGH WE CAN GET OUR PANDA ADOPTION TOTAL , AS I WILL BE PICKING OUT OUR ADOPTION GROUP’S SPECIAL PANDA AT BIFENGXIA….PHOTOS TO COME SOON!
DONATE VIA PAYPAL BELOW, OR IN THE RIGHT SIDEBAR YOU CAN CLICK THE LINK TO FIND OUT MUCH MORE INFO ABOUT YOUR CHANCE TO BE A PART OF THIS UNIQUE PANDA ADOPTION ADVENTURE!!!
About The Bifengxia Base
The Bifengxia Base is situated in 8 kilometers from Ya’an City, 150 kilometers from Chengdu. It is the first scenic spot integrating natural scenic spot and eco-zoo in China, including leisure, vacation, sightseeing, and entertainment. Ecological wild animal zoo was built in 1999 in Bifeng Gorges. Former Chinese PM Zhu Rongji gave words to ecological protection in Bifeng Gorge “Ecology is our resource, our fortune and our lifeline”, when he inspected Bifeng Gorge in 2001.
For the safety and development of the captive giant panda, the State Forestry Administrative Bureau decided and invested 27.6 million RMB to build a new panda base, i.e. Ya’an Bifengxia Base of China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda.
Ya’an Bifengxia Panda Base is located in Bifengxia Town, Ya’an City of south-west Sichuan Province. It’s a giant panda’s paradise with well captive raising, reproduction, rare wild animal rescuing and education facilities. Bifengxia base was opened in 2003 as the part of the world’s largest Giant Panda Migration. It was the biggest artificial migration of captive-bred giant panda ever seen.
The new accomplished reserve base is located in altitude of 1100m to 1800m. In the base, there are over 20 spots, such as breeding, research center and special kindergarten, hotel for panda. In there 6 kind of bamboo as panda’s favorite food are supplied. Now 16 pandas were moved to the Bifengxia base, sharing their life in luxurious villas with accompaniments of air-conditioners, toilets, independent water supply system and sport areas. Bifengxia Panda Base is arguably the best place to see pandas in the natural scenery they inhabit. Extending to about 60 square kilometers, Bifengxia has been long famous for its forest coverage, waterfalls, river and breathtaking landscapes.
Now that it has been selected as China’s latest giant panda protection base, Bifengxia has a new role to play in altering the destiny of the endangered species. Pandas will be returned to nature after they have been given relevant training in simulated wild environments. At up to 1,200 meters above sea level, Bifengxia is under the jurisdiction of Ya’an City. In the dense broadleaf forest with singing birds and murmuring streams stands a big gate with the image of a lovely giant panda carved on it, marking the entrance to Bifengxia Giant Panda Base. Walking through the gate and along the meandering mountain slope for a while, visitors can see several European-style cabins made of bricks and tiles. These are the pandas’ homes.
More than 20 spots have been set aside for panda-related activities and scientific experiments. There are dedicated grazing grounds, “kindergartens” for young pandas and even a panda hospital and research institute. Several different varieties of bamboo have been planted in the base either by the water or on the slopes. The new home for giant pandas appears like a park with a natural environment. The 16 giant pandas in the base will be raised through an outdoor method so as to encourage them to develop abilities better fitted to the natural environment.
The base will lead the world in raising pandas in this way. Upon completion of the whole project, the base will have four functional areas for grazing, offices and living quarters. This new base is a branch of the China Giant Panda Research and Conservation Center in Wolong. With vegetation coverage of 80 per cent, it is the world’s largest giant panda eco-park. It is planned that in five to seven years, the base will have 40 giant pandas in total. World’s Largest Giant Panda Park Opens The world’s largest park for giant pandas has opened in southwest China’s Sichuan Province with an initial group of 20 animals.
CLICK MAP TO SEE THE FULL REGION SURROUNDING BIFENGXIA AND YAAN
Facilities
Transportation – Xiaoxitian hotel is just in the Panda base, which is 16 km from Ya’an City and 150 km from Chengdu. There are some mini-super-markets in and around the Panda base. There are many shuttle buses to Ya’an and Chengdu City every 35 minutes.
Money issues – There is no ATM in the Panda Base, but there are many Banks of China, and several ATM machines in Ya’an and Chengdu.
Internet use – You can use the Internet in the office in the Panda base and there are many internet cafes in Ya’an city.
International Phone calls – You can make international phone calls in Ya’an city but not available in the Panda base unless you have your own cell-phone, which is relatively expensive.
Health information – There is a hospital at the Panda Base and several good hospitals in Yaan city.
Weather and Clothes – The mountain weather is changeable, and it can be much colder and rainier at Wanglang than at lower elevations. Bring extra clothes for warmth and rain protection and wear comfortable, waterproof walking shoes. Bring sunscreen for sunny days. June, July, and August receive the most rain, however, it can rain anytime. Snow is possible as early as September, but is most prevalent from November through March.
Pandas – You will receive an in-depth training on the care of Pandas and guidelines while working with the Pandas. Your trainer will answer all your questions and is very important that you do whatever the trainer requires.
China Giant Panda FAQ
How many pandas are left in the world?
China currently has about 1,000 giant pandas in the wild, most of them living on the mountains around the Sichuan Basin, southwest China according to the Ministry of Forestry.
What is the life span of a giant panda?
The average life span of the giant panda, in the wild is about 15 years, but in captivity they have been known to live well into their 20′s and rarely into their 30′s.
Why are giant pandas endangered?
Habitat encroachment and destruction are the greatest threats to the continued existence of the giant panda. This is mainly because of the demand for land and natural resources by China’s one billion plus inhabitants. In addition giant pandas are also susceptible to poaching, or illegal killing, as their dense fur carries a high price in the black markets in the Far East.
CHECK OUT THE VIDEOS AND IPADIO PHONE CASTS BELOW OFTEN, AS WE WILL BE POSTING LIVE UPDATES WHERE WE CAN FIND WIFI. OTHERWISE TONITE WE WILL BE POSTING A FULL TRAVELBLOGUE UPDATE AND IMAGES FROM THE DAYS EVENTS!!!
HAVE A PAN-TASTIC DAY MY FRIENDS!!!!!!!!!
CLICK IMAGE TO FIND THIS PRINT FROM PETITE TO COLASSAL SIZE IN MY IMAGEKIND GALLERY
I highly recommend this one on canvas with the GALLERY WRAP to bring out the fabric batik look
This is one of the most fun designs I’ve done to date, featuring an adorable panda family! I am a HUGE batik fan and have worked in silk and cotton batik and silk painting for many years until I became allergic to the dyes .
Recently I found I could develop the same look of silk painting with the wax resist lines in other mediums and this is the result!!!!!Check out those cubs!!! The one rolling down the hill on her back …..clutching bamboo had me laughing out loud as she came to life on the paper!!
You will see I altered the design slightly on the products at ZAZZLE (shirts, mugs, totes etc) so the edges of the square are softened by elements spilling off such as the rocks, clouds and flowers. I makes for a very artsy garment design. The gorgeous mug has this same design on BOTH sides.
Choose your shirt styles and colors but keep in mind this looks best on black or white and possibly cream. The model is wearing a mens style for a roomier fit.
I really love the new style tote ZAZZle is offering below. This fits groceries quite well
CLICK IMAGES TO GO TO MY PANDA ITEMS AT THE BAMBOO TEAHOUSE MARKET AT ZAZZLE
Please feel free to suggest subjects you would like to see in this style of painting!! Hope you like this one!
And dont forget to swing on over to PANDARAZZI and see all the new cub photos from Bifengxia I posted today!
AND WHILE I HAVE YOU HERE…a few flower pix from the garden today!!!
Bling Bling has been BEARY busy modeling for my new series of greeting cards which will ultimately end up being published as a book to be released later this summer. Each card comes with a special story inside, describing Blings most inner thoughts , hope and dreams as she travels around the planet spreading joy and good Karma
Click the card above to find it at my Zazzle store. Bling has dozens of designs ready to offer. We will be releasing one per week into the wild’s of my Zazzle boutique!!!!
Hello everyone!! I hope you all had a fantastic holiday and survived the shopping madness!! I spent the past 4 days in front of the computer from before dawn till midnight each day playing on my new computer and updating a lot things my old computer couldn’t handle.
CLICK THE PHOTO BELOW TO GET BEAMED TO PANDARAZZI.COM
My biggest accomplishment has been bringing my PROJECT PANDA forum up to speed and making some changes. The forum was failing miserably with no technical support to help me fix things …..so I had to switch gears. The old saying “when one door closes a new one opens” sooooo applies in this situation.
MEG HELPING ME PHOTOGRAPH A NEW PANDA NECKLACE
To make a long story short I opened up a new blog to replace the forum which will be more than just a panda blog. Please come on by to see what I’ve been up to and SIGN UP for email updates in the upper left column at Pandarazzi.com (just as you did for Graffiti Gossip) The two blogs have separate mailing lists so you will need to quickly submit your email addie at Pandarazzi if you want to get the updates when I post. There will be a lot of helpful info at that blog with some exciting adoptions coming too!
There is also now a link at the top of GRAFFITI GOSSIP that brings you to PANDARAZZI
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DONT MISS THE CHOW AUCTION ON EBAY…MEGS PANDA NECKLACE WILL BE THERE SOON!
CLICK IMAGE
Does this beat everything??? I just got an update from Zazzle that they are now letting me custom design REAL KEDS tennis shoes so I jumped on it fast!! Each design must go through an acceptance process because of the Keds branding and they are
NOW AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE…CLICK ON THE PHOTOS TO FIND THEM!!
I am limiting this design to 25 total pair (which is customizable on the trim and insole etc …plus your style and size) so that you will be only one of 25 people who will own these shoes in the world!!!
Now I can hear some of my more conservative minded friends muttering “one pair of these in the world is plenty”..hee hee hee…Well for those who would prefer more softly stated panda paw covering..I will have a fun and tasteful design coming for you too!! Woo Hooooooooooooo
Click the photos to access my Project Panda store. They should show up under PRODUCTS and KEDS SHOES in the next 24 hours. In the meantime run down to your closest shoe store to double check your size in the Keds shoes available on Zazzle. Here are your available styles to choose from
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE SHOES AS A PAIR
AND A NEW DESIGN JUST ADDED BELOW…VIEWS OF BOTH SIDES
