Mainland panda pair arrive in Chengdu

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Source: CCTV.com | 12-23-2008 12:51

A pair of giant pandas -- offered by the Chinese mainland as a goodwill gift to Taiwan -- have embarked on a journey to the island. They arrived at Shuangliu Airport in Sichuan provincial capital Chengdu an hour ago.

After over three years of delay, Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan  can now finally make their journey to Taiwan thanks to  improved cross-Strait ties.

And the pandas are scheduled to be flown to Taiwan very soon. Before their departure for Chengdu on Tuesday morning, a brief farewell ceremony was held in Ya'an city in Sichuan Province to celebrate the journey of the giant pandas.

After over three years of delay, Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan can now finally make their journey to Taiwan thanks to improved cross-Strait ties.

After eating their breakfast of carrots and steamed corn buns -- the four-year-old pair were put in cages. They were then carried to an enclosed truck early on Tuesday morning.

They traveled via the truck from Ya'an city in Sichuan to the provincial capital of Chengdu. From there, the pandas were scheduled to be flown to Taiwan on Tuesday afternoon.

The pair had spent about half a year at a breeding base in Ya'an. They were taken there after their home in Wolong was damaged during the May 12th massive earthquake in Sichuan.

Hundreds of local residents in Ya'an together with officials bid farewell to the giant pandas.