People bid farewell to three giant pandas at Belgian zoo

Large crowds gathered at Belgium's Pairi Daiza zoo on Sunday to say their final goodbyes to three beloved giant pandas born in the country ahead of their return to China next month.

The three pandas—Tian Bao, Bao Di, and Bao Mei—are set to enter quarantine before returning to their homeland in December to begin their new lives at the Giant Panda Base in Bifengxia, southwest China's Sichuan Province.

At the zoo, Belgian fans expressed their heartfelt farewells to the adorable bears.

"For the kids, it's very important for them to see the pandas grow up, and we want to say goodbye," said a young girl's father.

"It's with great emotion for me to be here today and say goodbye to Tian Bao and his siblings. I am feeling very emotional," said a visitor at the zoo.

Tian Bao is the eldest of the siblings, born in 2016, while twins Bao Di and Bao Mei were born in 2019. The parents of the three pandas, Hao Hao and Xing Hui, will remain at the Belgian zoo.

The panda loan agreement, signed in 2013, allowed the pair to stay in Belgium for 15 years. Under the terms, their offspring must be returned to China at the age of four to join breeding and conservation efforts. However, the Covid-19 pandemic delayed those plans.

For both zookeepers and the public alike, the pandas will be sorely missed. However, for the sake of their long-term well-being and breeding prospects, returning to China is the best option.

"Tian Bao is not just a little boy, he's a man. He needs to have another life. He needs to have a girlfriend and he needs a breeding family, so this is why we cannot keep Tian Bao," said Yang Liu, a panda caretaker at the zoo.

Now, preparations for the departure of these precious pandas are in the final stage. The zoo staff has taken all necessary measures to ensure they are in good condition for the flight to China.

"Not getting an infection, not getting sick and not getting a cold. After that, they can get the health document and a pass to go on the plane," said Yang.

People bid farewell to three giant pandas at Belgian zoo

People bid farewell to three giant pandas at Belgian zoo

The main tower in a well-known theme park in Harbin, the provincial capital of Heilongjiang in northeast China, was built up on Wednesday evening, adding an attraction to the "Ice City."

According to the organizing committee of the 26th Harbin Ice and Snow World, the park is currently undergoing polishing and lighting effects debugging before opening to the public.

Named "Love among Asia," the tower features layered ice columns, with the design inspired by the emblem of the Olympic Council of Asia, offering a striking visual spectacle to viewers.

"The design concept of our main tower is derived from the emblem of the Olympic Council of Asia. Viewed from above, the entire tower resembles a shining sun, with a giant dragon spiraling on one side and a majestic eagle on the other, forming the overall landscape of the main tower," said Sun Zemin, deputy head of the park's marketing department.

The construction of the Harbin Ice-Snow World has been in full swing involving more than 10,000 workers and nearly 1,000 machines.

"This year, the park covers an area of one million square meters in total, with 300,000 cubic meters of ice and snow consumed for the construction, and both the area and ice-snow consumption set records in the history of our park," said Sun.

Currently, more than half of the ice and snow world has been build, and the total construction is expected to complete before the end of the month.

Main tower of Harbin Ice-Snow World capped