French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Chengdu City, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on Thursday evening, marking the second stop of his three-day state visit to China.
Macron is on a state visit to China from Wednesday to Friday at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
As a key hub in western China, Chengdu is renowned for its rich history and culture, serving as an important international transport gateway.
The city also has a long-standing relationship with France. In 1981, Chengdu and France's Montpellier became the first pair of sister cities between the two countries.
This is Macron's fourth state visit to China and a reciprocal visit to Xi's historic state visit to France last year that marked the 60th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations.
The French president has maintained the tradition of visiting cities beyond Beijing. He traveled to Xi'an in Shaanxi Province, Shanghai, and Guangzhou in Guangdong Province during previous visits.
French President Emmanuel Macron arrives in Chengdu after Beijing trip
A giant panda pair who won the hearts of the public during their 13-year spell on loan at a French zoo have recently returned to China, with their story highlighting the strong level of friendship and cooperation which exists between China and France.
In an interview with the China Global Television Network (CGTN), Feng Yongyou, head of the animal husbandry and management department at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding who accompanied the pandas during their trip back home last month, shared the heartwarming tale of the pandas' return journey.
The panda pair "Huanhuan" and "Yuanzi" arrived at the renowned Beauval ZooParc in France's Loir-et-Cher department back in 2012, which marked a new chapter in China-French cultural exchanges at the time.
During their stay in France, the pandas welcomed their first baby, a cub named "Yuanmeng" in 2017, followed by female twins "Huanlili" and "Yuandudu" in 2021. The family of five went on to become star attractions at the zoo.
However, following a recent diagnosis of kidney failure for "Huanhuan," both Chinese and French authorities decided to return them to China to undergo professional medical care.
Feng shared that extra care was taken to ensure the pandas had the most comfortable journey possible.
"To ensure smooth transportation, both sides conducted multiple online meetings to address various details. In addition to these meetings, we also communicated extensively via email. Our shared objective was to safely and peacefully return the giant pandas to China," he said.
Feng also shared a touching detail reflecting the French side's affection for the two giant pandas.
"The French side presented us with a barrel of biscuits [at the airport departure point], the same biscuits the two giant pandas had been eating in France, so they could have some fitting food during their transportation," he said.
During their 13 years in France, "Huanhuan" and "Yuanzi" were widely loved by the French public, and their departure stirred profound feelings of sadness among their many fans and the staff who had worked closely with them.
"It was raining at the time, yet many people braved the rain to attend the farewell gathering. The zoo director and his wife also expressed their reluctance to see the two giant pandas leave for China, even in the rain," said Feng.
The two giant pandas have now begun to adjust to their new environment in Chengdu of southwest China's Sichuan Province and are starting a happy new life back in their hometown.
"Soon after returning, 'Huanhuan' and 'Yuanzi' started eating, drinking and playing. In weather like this, they are even out sunbathing. Overall, the two giant pandas have adapted quite quickly, maintaining a good mental state and healthy eating habits," said Feng.
At Chinese President Xi Jinping's invitation, French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Beijing on Wednesday for a state visit to China through Friday.
Xi and Macron jointly met the press after their talks in Beijing on Thursday, with Xi saying that both sides agreed to deepen exchanges and cooperation in culture, education, science and technology, and subnational areas, and launch a new round of cooperation in the protection of giant pandas.
Caretaker shares heartwarming story of panda pairs' return journey from France
