A giant panda spends at least 12 hours chewing bamboos each day, eating at least 12-38 kg to meet their energy needs.

Two cubs play hide-and-seek.

The keeper has to take away empty bottles of water from the pandas to ensure their safety.

Two cubs have fun with each other.

Giant pandas like sitting on branches, relaxing. 

Time to take a nap.

Climbing trees is a favorite activity among panda cubs.

A cub sleeps on a tree. Besides eating, pandas spend most of their time sleeping to save strength.  Photos: Li Hao/GT

It's been known as the homeland of the black-and-white bear since ancient times, although it wasn't until 1869 that foreigners ever learnt of Chengdu's most-prized possession: the giant panda.

Today, thanks to conservationists and lovers of China's rich ecology, 50 pandas populate four reserves established in habitats covering an area of 1,500 square kilometers across Dujiangyan, Pengzhou, Chongzhou, and Dayi.

The campaign for pandas' conservation began on January 17, 1953, when the "first" wild panda was found in Yutang, a town near the city of Dujiangyan. Then, the panda was rescued and relocated to Chengdu's Futoushan Breeding Facility at the Chengdu Zoo, the precursor to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding (CRBGPB).

Established in March 1987, the CRBGPB aims at researching, breeding, and conserving the panda population and other rare animals.

The base also carries out off-site conservation efforts to improve artificial reproduction procedures with the hope of increasing the wild panda population. As of 2010, the captive panda population has grown to 108 bears.

When population levels have reached desired levels, the base will shift its efforts toward helping captive pandas adapt to their natural habitats, so they can be released into the wild and repopulate their native homeland.

The CRBGPB attempts to flex its resources to market the plight of the panda to the world: In 2010, the base's panda, Mei Lan, became an annual ambassador for Earth Hour, while in 2012, the CRBGPB invited netizens worldwide to suggest a name for their three-month-old panda cub - the winner? Oreo. And everyone agrees, she is a real cookie!