The best time of day to see a panda, hour by hour
Pandas are awake for about four hours a day. Getting the timing right matters more than which base you choose.
Zhouzhi, Xi’an · Shaanxi
Qinling Four Treasures Park
Home of the only brown panda in captivity.
Qinling pandas are a separate subspecies, split from their Sichuan cousins long enough ago to look different: rounder skulls, shorter snouts, and occasionally a brown coat. Qizai, found as a weak cub in Foping in 2009, is the only brown one in captivity anywhere.
The park pairs the pandas with crested ibis, golden snub-nosed monkeys and takin — the four treasures of the Qinling range. It is a compact, low-crowd alternative for travellers whose itinerary starts in Xi’an rather than Chengdu.
What you will see
- Qizai, the brown panda, and his keepers’ carrot training
- Golden snub-nosed monkeys in a forested run
- Crested ibis, brought back from near extinction
- A panda stop that fits a Xi’an itinerary
Read before you go
All guides 
What the panda keeper programme actually involves
You will not hold a panda. You will break bamboo, wash shoots, and stand closer to a feeding animal than any ticket allows.
Doing the Chengdu base properly in one morning
A route that avoids the two worst bottlenecks, and why you should take the shuttle even though it feels lazy.