Twin giant pandas Xiao Xiao (left) and Lei Lei arrive at the Ya’an Base of the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Panda (CCRCGP) on January 28, 2026. Photo: Screenshot from Weibo account of the CCRCGP

Twin giant pandas Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, born and raised at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, Japan, safely arrived at Chengdu Tianfu International Airport early Wednesday morning and were subsequently transferred to the Ya’an Base of the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Panda (CCRCGP) in Sichuan Province, Southwest China, where they entered quarantine, the center said in a statement released on its Weibo account on Wednesday. 

Born at Ueno Zoo in June 2021, male panda Xiao Xiao and female panda Lei Lei are the offspring of giant panda couple Bi Li and Xian Nü, who lived in Japan from February 2011 to September 2024 as ambassadors of friendly exchange between China and Japan and participated in international cooperation on giant panda conservation, the center said.

During the panda couple’s stay in Japan, China and Japan made significant progress in giant panda conservation, scientific research, disease prevention and control, and public education. The panda couple successfully gave birth to a female panda Xiang Xiang in June 2017, as well as the twin pandas Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, according to the center.

The twin pandas’ elder sister, Xiang Xiang, was sent back to China in February 2023. Their parents Bi Li and Xian Nü returned to China ahead of schedule in September 2024 due to age-related illnesses and are now in stable condition, according to the center. 

To ensure the safe and smooth return of Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei, the CCRCGP sent experienced experts to Japan in advance to coordinate with their Japanese counterparts on pre-departure preparations. The Chinese specialists also accompanied the twin pandas on the same flight back to China, together with the Japanese keepers, according to the center. 

The Ya’an Base of the CCRCGP have made full preparations for quarantine, including enclosure disinfection, food supplies, daily care arrangements and health support, to ensure the pandas pass the quarantine period smoothly and adapt to their home environment, the center said. 

Global Times