Panda Zoos in China 2026: 10 Best Places to See Giant Pandas

This place is home to precious animals such as giant pandas, golden monkeys, Siberian tigers, white-lipped deer, elk, miniature horses, and red-crowned cranes, as well as representative animals from all over the world, such as chimpanzees from Africa, kangaroos from Australia, jaguars, manatees from Mexico, and bison from Europe.

The Beijing Zoo has been in existence for over a century, dating back to the 32nd year of the Guangxu Emperor's reign.

Star pandas: Menglan, Mengmeng, Mengda, Menger, Mengbao, Mengyu, Baitian, Fuxing (Pangdahai), Gugu (Grandpa Gu), Diandian and Yaya (not on display).

Address: No. 137 Xizhimenwai Street, Beijing

What to expect: Chongqing Zoo is one of the zoos with the largest number of giant pandas in China. The zoo exhibits more than 4,000 wild animals of over 230 species, with rare and protected animals accounting for more than 80%. Among them, giant pandas, South China tigers, Asian elephants, rhinoceroses, golden monkeys, giraffes, red-crowned cranes, and black swans are very popular.

Star pandas:Yu Ke and Yu Ai (twin cubs with very different personalities), Mang Zai and Mang Xiao Wu (a lively mother-and-cub pair), Sixi Wanzi, and more.

Address: No. 1, Yangjiaping West Suburb Village, Jiulongpo District, Chongqing

What to expect: Qinling Four Treasures Science Park is an open part of the Qinling Giant Panda Research Center. It is home to rare animals such as giant pandas, crested ibises, golden monkeys and takins, including Qi Zai, the world's only captive brown giant panda. Other Qinling residents include red pandas, muntjacs, serows, golden eagles and red-bellied pheasants. The park is currently closed, with no reopening date announced yet. Until then, you can see giant pandas at the nearby Qinling Wildlife Park and Foping Panda Base.

Star pandas: Qi Zai (known for his mischievous streak), A Bao (whose ear Qi Zai chewed into a wrench shape), Jin Xiao Qi (a tiny cub who sits and waits for snacks), and more.

Address: Located on Wenquan Avenue, Louguan Town, Zhouzhi County, Xi'an City

What to expect: Dalian Forest Zoo is located in the Baiyun Mountain Scenic Area on the southern coast of Dalian. It is split into an enclosed area and a free-range area, with a tropical fruit garden, a small animal village, an Australian kangaroo enclosure, a panda pavilion, a crane exhibit and a primate enclosure. The panda pavilion sits in the free-range area on the south side of the zoo and houses three star giant pandas. Their enclosure is huge - a luxury no other animal at the zoo gets.

Star pandas: The "Three Treasures of Dalian"—Feiyun, Jinhu, and Miaoyin

Address: No. 60 Yingchun Road, Xigang District, Dalian (entrance to the captive breeding area); No. 79 Binhai West Road, Xigang District, Dalian (entrance to the free-range breeding area).

What to expect: Shanghai Wild Animal Park features three main areas: a walking area, a drive-through area, and a "Water Exploration" area, bringing together over 200 representative rare animal species from around the world. Here you can encounter giant pandas, giraffes, flamingos, and more, and experience the wild roar of Siberian tigers, African lions, cheetahs, and other ferocious beasts up close.

The zoo's pandas include Xuebao, Qiqi, Qianjin, Jiajia, and Kangkang. Xuebao is particularly adorable for its hands-on-hips pose! Its hind legs are incredibly strong; every time the zookeepers feed it, Xuebao walks upright to them, a sight that's absolutely hilarious!

Address: No. 178, South Sixth Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai

What to expect: Chimelong Safari Park boasts a large area of ​​pristine subtropical rainforest ecology, home to more than 10 giant pandas, including the world's only surviving giant panda triplets "Mengmeng, Shuaishuai, and Kuku", as well as koalas (Australia's national treasure), orangutans (Malaysia's national treasure), Asian elephants (Thailand's national treasure), anteaters (Honduras's national treasure), and other rare animals from around the world.

Chimelong's pandas live in serious luxury. They even travel in their own "Chimelong Panda Express" train, with food and relaxation on board. In the hot summer each panda gets an ice bed to play on, plus bamboo carved into Moutai bottles and carrots carved for afternoon tea. Their keepers' creativity never seems to run out!

Address: Dashi Town, Panyu District, Guangzhou City

What to expect: Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo is located in the north of Nanjing, overlooking Zijin Mountain to the east and Xuanwu Lake to the south, boasting unique forest landscapes and animal resources. It is divided into three main areas according to the hilltops: Xiaohongshan, Dahongshan, and Fangniushan, and features exhibits such as an Australian animal exhibit, an elephant enclosure, a lion and tiger enclosure, a panda enclosure, and an orangutan enclosure.

Star pandas: Pingping, Jiujiu and Hehe (giant pandas who are always up to something); Dudu (a white-faced saki) who is a popular internet celebrity; Ruirui (golden snub-nosed monkey) who is soft and cute; Moli (koala) who is adorable and silly; Xiaobai (white tiger) who is very talkative.

Address: No. 168, Heyan Road, Xuanwu District, Nanjing City

What to expect: Luoyang Luanchuan Bamboo Sea Wildlife World is home to a variety of precious animals, including giant pandas, Siberian tigers, red pandas, alpacas, macaques, Asiatic black bears, lions, and sika deer. These rare animals from around the world live and thrive in this animal paradise, making the Bamboo Sea Wildlife World one of China's important wildlife breeding and conservation bases.

Star pandas: Lingyan and Mai Mai (Lingyan gained countless fans with his various antics, such as singing while bathing, lion dancing, and selling goods from a cart. Mai Mai, who was usually very well-behaved, later joined Lingyan's crazy antics as well.)

Address: Cangfang Village, Luanchuan County, Luoyang City

What to expect: Hangzhou Zoo is a mountain-style zoo, near Hupao Spring and Liuhe Pagoda, and north of Manlong Guiyu. The zoo has more than 20 pavilions, including an elephant pavilion, a giant panda pavilion, a giraffe pavilion, an amphibian and reptile pavilion, and an acrobatic pavilion.

Star pandas: Xiangguo and Chunsheng ("Chunsheng" is lively and active, and shows off his food at lightning speed; "Xiangguo" takes an elegant approach).

Address: No. 40 Hupao Road, Hangzhou

Highlights: Jinan Zoo features rare animals such as giant pandas, golden monkeys, Asian elephants, and white storks. After viewing the animals, visitors can enjoy rides like the log flume. It's a great place to visit with children. The panda enclosure boasts a misting system, central air conditioning, artificial mountains, and clear springs—creating a truly magical, pristine environment.

Star pandas: Hua'ao and Yaji (Yaji is playful and lively; Hua'ao is relatively calm)

Address: No. 87, Jiluo Road, Tianqiao District, Jinan City

1. Maintain a quiet environment: Keep it as quiet as possible, as giant pandas have much more sensitive hearing than humans and are easily startled;
2. Please do not use flash photography: especially for panda cubs, whose eyes are very sensitive to light, flash photography could potentially harm them;
3. Do not feed the giant pandas: The giant pandas are fed by keepers every day and have a special diet.
4. Do not attempt to climb over the protective fence: Giant pandas are ferocious beasts. When surrounded by a large crowd, they become highly stressed and may instinctively attack.

1. Giant pandas are not cats: Giant pandas are the only mammals belonging to the order Carnivora, family Ursidae, subfamily Ailuropodinae, and genus Ailuropoda.
2. Nearsightedness: Giant pandas have a highly developed sense of smell and hearing, but very poor eyesight, with a "nearsightedness" of 800 degrees.
3. Giant pandas have "six fingers": In order to grasp bamboo, giant pandas have evolved a "sixth finger," also called a "pseudo-thumb."
4. Walking with toes pointing inward: Giant pandas walk slowly with their toes pointing inward to conserve energy and adapt to low-energy foods;
5. Poop expert: In order to obtain the necessary nutrients, they eat and poop quickly, and can poop up to 40 times a day;
6. Short estrus cycle: Female giant pandas go into estrus once a year, and each estrus peak lasts only a short period of 2 to 3 days, which is one of the reasons why the giant panda population is small.

Still planning your trip? See where giant pandas live outside China in our guide to giant pandas in zoos around the world, work the panda houses into a 2-week China itinerary, and check the rest of what to do in Guangzhou before you visit Chimelong.