Views Magazine

The highlight of our memorable journey is a visit to the »Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda ­Breeding«, which is guaranteed to send everyone's »cute-o-meter« through the roof! Out in the wild, the comical bears with their manga-like eyes and ears which look like they have been painted on don't seem to be able to get the hang of breeding. They have even earned a reputation for a certain frigidity – which is why researchers at the base are trying to help out with psychological and medical tricks. The grounds are so huge that, given their proverbial ponderousness and generally sedate nature, most of the animals have perhaps never yet reached its boundaries. They may not even be aware that they are living in captivity. What they do appreciate, though, are the regular feeding times administered by their loving keepers, even if this does happen in a spot where they are clearly visible – to the utter delight of the visitors. Huge bundles of bamboo rustle as they fall to the ground at the feeding station. Instantly, the bears grab a couple of branches each and noisily set about enjoying a meal. The cuteness factor of the munching monochrome mammals is almost enough to bring tears to visitors' eyes.
This breeding research centre was founded in 1987 with six giant pandas. Today, as many as 120 animals bred in captivity live here, making this the largest breeding station in the world. Its aim is to safe­guard the survival of the species. Side-effects include the happy faces of visitors – and fluffy leverage in the complex game of inter­national diplomacy.

Cracked giant
Standing 71 metres tall and 28 metres across, the Lèshan Dàfó is the largest stone Buddha in the world. A monk called Haitong began the construction work in 713 AD, his aim being to calm the dangerous waters at the confluence of the Min Jiang, Dadu and Qingyi rivers. The statue was not completed until 90 years later. The large quantities of excess stone generated during the work were sunk in the river, which thus changed its course – removing the danger to shipping traffic. During the Cultural Revolution which decimated so many works of art in China, Prime Minister Zhou Enlai personally intervened on behalf of the statue and kept the Red Guard from destroying it. Today, however, the threat comes from other quarters: Acid rain is causing the sandstone giant – a UNESCO World Heritage site – to suffer and erode rapidly. The World Bank is currently seeking to persuade GIZ, the German Society for Technical Cooperation, to engage with the conservation project.

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