After visiting the Forbidden City, my tour group took a trip to the nearby Beijing Zoo. Our tour included trips to other parts of China, but Chengdu was not on our itinerary. So the Beijing Zoo was our opportunity to see the Giant Pandas during our visit. The pandas are a popular and inexpensive attraction. There is a surcharge for the Panda Hall, but the prices are very reasonable. The zoo is CNY 10 off season and CNY 15 during peak and shoulder seasons (US 1.50/2.00). The Panda Hall can be purchased on a combined ticket for just an extra CNY 4 (fifty cents).
The best way to talk about pandas is to simply show you. So I will let the pandas do the talking for a minute:
Red Panda, which is more closely related to the racoon:
Monkeys:
We didn't spend much time with the other animals, but I did want to share the artistry of a street vendor. This guy, who was located inside the zoo, created amazing artistic treats. I am not sure how much he charged, but his creations were beautiful. He was amazingly quick, as well.
The zoo is open from 7:30 am until 6:00 pm from April to October. From November until March, they close an hour earlier at 5:00 pm.
If you are primarily going to visit the pandas, you only need about an hour. The panda structure is a large two story building with exhibits inside as well. The large glass room allows visibility into the panda area from both floors. There is a gift shop in the Panda Hall. Expect to pay gift shop prices. If you are going, enjoy the trip!
These photos are my own. They may be reproduced with prior permission.