Giant panda Xiang Xiang eats fresh bamboo at the Bifengxia Giant Panda Base in Ya'an, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Oct. 8, 2023. (Photo/Xinhua)

Chengdu - Japan-born female giant panda Xiang Xiang met the public for the first time in southwest China's Sichuan Province following quarantine and examination, China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda said Monday.

Xiang Xiang has drawn eager crowds to Bifengxia base, a panda research and breeding facility located in Ya'an City.

Sun Ping, a panda enthusiast from northeast China's Dalian City, specifically scheduled a trip to Sichuan to see pandas there. "As soon as I arrived, I heard that Xiang Xiang was out meeting visitors. I felt incredibly lucky," said Sun.

In February this year, Xiang Xiang returned to Sichuan, which is known as the hometown of giant pandas.

Xiang Xiang was born in June 2017 at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo. She became a celebrity panda in Japan. Her parents, Shin Shin (female) and Ri Ri (male), were both on loan from China, where the ownership of the cubs they give birth to belongs.