The Giant Panda National Park is one of China's first five national parks, formally established in October 2021. Covering about 22,000 km² of mountain forest in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu, it joins dozens of former nature reserves in the Minshan, Qionglai, Daxiangling, Xiaoxiangling and Qinling ranges into a single protected area for the wild giant panda and the many species that share its habitat.
- National park · 2021
- UNESCO World Heritage (natural), Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries (overlapping) · 2006
- UNESCO biosphere reserve (Wolong) · 1979
Key facts
Overview
Before the national park, the panda's range was protected by a patchwork of reserves under different provinces, counties and agencies, separated by roads, farmland and forestry land. The park, planned from 2017 and established in 2021, puts most of the remaining habitat under one administration, with the aim of reconnecting isolated panda populations and managing whole mountain ranges rather than islands of forest.
Most of the park lies in Sichuan, which holds the largest share of wild pandas. The Qinling section in Shaanxi protects a distinct population with paler, brownish fur, and the Baishuijiang section in Gansu links to the Minshan. The park includes well-known reserves such as Wolong, Tangjiahe, Wanglang, Foping and Baishuijiang, and it overlaps with the Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries World Heritage site.
How the landscape formed
The park follows the mountains that divide the Sichuan Basin from the Tibetan Plateau and the Qinling that divides northern from southern China. These are steep ranges, cut by deep river valleys, rising from about 1,000 metres to above 5,000 metres. The panda lives in the middle belt, mainly between about 1,500 and 3,000 metres, where mixed and conifer forest has a dense understorey of bamboo. Heavy rainfall, fog and cool summers sustain the bamboo on which the panda depends.
Highlights
Wolong
卧龙
The best-known panda reserve, in the Qionglai Mountains, established in 1963 and home to a major breeding and research centre.
Tangjiahe
唐家河
A reserve in the Minshan in northern Sichuan, known for good wildlife viewing, including takin and golden monkeys.
Wanglang
王朗
One of the oldest panda reserves, in Pingwu county in the Minshan.
Foping
佛坪
A reserve on the southern slopes of the Qinling in Shaanxi, with the Qinling panda.
Baishuijiang
白水江
The Gansu section of the park, on the northern Minshan.
Ya'an
雅安
The city at the edge of the Qionglai range, where the French missionary Armand David first described the giant panda to Western science in 1869.
Plants and wildlife
The park protects not only the giant panda but the whole forest community of the mountains of central and south-west China, one of the richest temperate ecosystems in the world. The panda acts as an umbrella species: protecting enough habitat for it also protects thousands of other plants and animals.
Plants
Bamboo
竹子
Several species of arrow and umbrella bamboo form the understorey and make up almost all of the panda's diet.
Dove tree
珙桐
A relict tree of the mixed forests.
Chinese yew
红豆杉
A protected conifer of the lower mountain forest.
Wildlife
Giant panda
大熊猫
The park holds most of the world's wild pandas; IUCN reclassified the species from Endangered to Vulnerable in 2016.
Golden snub-nosed monkey
川金丝猴
Troops live in the conifer forests of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu.
Takin
扭角羚
The Sichuan and golden takin of the Qinling share the park with the panda.
Red panda
小熊猫
An unrelated, smaller bamboo-eater of the same forests.
Culture and legend
The panda's mountains are home to Han, Tibetan, Qiang and Baima communities, many of whom lived by farming, herb gathering and logging before the logging ban of 1998. The park's plans aim to balance protection with the livelihoods of the villages inside and around it. Internationally, the panda has become a symbol of conservation and of China's diplomacy.
Baima people
白马藏族
A small people of the Minshan valleys in Pingwu and Wen county, known for white-feathered hats.
Dengchigou church
邓池沟
The Catholic mission in Baoxing county, Ya'an, where Armand David worked when he described the panda.
History
1869
Armand David describes the giant panda
The French missionary sent a specimen from Baoxing (Moupin) to Paris, introducing the species to Western science.
1963
Wolong reserve established
One of the first reserves created to protect panda habitat; others such as Wanglang followed in the 1960s and 1970s.
1998
Logging ban in natural forests
After severe floods on the Yangtze, commercial logging in the upper Yangtze forests was stopped, helping panda habitat recover.
2006
UNESCO World Heritage
The Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries were inscribed as a natural site.
2008
Wenchuan earthquake
The earthquake devastated the Wolong area and its breeding centre, which was later rebuilt.
2017
National park pilot begins
The central government approved a pilot plan to merge the reserves into a single park.
October 2021
National park formally established
Announced as one of China's first five national parks, alongside Sanjiangyuan, the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard, Hainan Tropical Rainforest and Wuyishan.
Through the seasons
Spring
Bamboo shoots appear and pandas move to lower slopes to feed on them; rhododendrons flower in the forests.
Summer
Rain and fog in the forests; pandas move higher, following fresh bamboo growth.
Autumn
Clearer weather and autumn colour; a good season for walking in the accessible reserves.
Winter
Snow in the forest makes tracks easier to follow; pandas do not hibernate and stay active all year.
Routes and ways in
Panda centres
The breeding and research centres at Wolong, Dujiangyan and Bifengxia (Ya'an) are the most reliable places to see pandas; they lie within or beside the park.
Tangjiahe and Wanglang
Reserves in the Minshan with roads and nature trails where takin, golden monkeys and birds are often seen; wild pandas remain rare.
Qinling foothills
In Shaanxi, the reserves on the southern slopes of the Qinling, such as Foping, offer guided forest walks.
Practical notes
- Seeing a wild panda is very unusual; most visitors see them at the breeding centres. Guided wildlife trips in the reserves improve the odds of other animals.
- Large parts of the park are core protection zones closed to the public; visits are limited to designated areas and routes.
- Mountain roads are affected by landslides after heavy rain and earthquakes; check local conditions.
- Chengdu is the usual base for the Sichuan sections; Xi'an for the Qinling section in Shaanxi.
Cities to start from
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- National Forestry and Grassland Administration — National Park Administration — National Forestry and Grassland Administration (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries – Wolong, Mt Siguniang and Jiajin Mountains — UNESCO World Heritage Centre (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) — IUCN Red List — IUCN (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Sichuan Provincial People's Government — Sichuan Provincial People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
More mountains and nature in Sichuan
- Nature reserve · 6,032 mDaocheng Yading稻城亚丁Three sacred snow peaks of the Tibetan borderlands
- GlacierHailuogou Glacier海螺沟A glacier on Gongga's eastern flank that ends in forest
- Nature reserve · 5,588 mHuanglong黄龙Terraced travertine pools below the snows of Xuebaoding
- Nature reserve · 4,752 mJiuzhaigou九寨沟Turquoise lakes and travertine falls in the Minshan mountains
- Sacred mountain · 3,099 mMount Emei峨眉山Samantabhadra's mountain above the sea of clouds
- Mountain · 7,556 mMount Gongga (Minya Konka)贡嘎山The highest peak of Sichuan and the eastern Tibetan Plateau's rim
- Sacred mountainMount Qingcheng青城山The secluded green mountain where Daoism took root
- Mountain · 6,250 mMount Siguniang四姑娘山Four snow peaks above the valleys of the Qionglai range
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