Green paradise

Shennongjia used to be home to pandas as proved by panda fossils found by scientists there in 1996, says Zhou Chunhui, a guide at a facility that houses two pandas brought from Chengdu, in Sichuan province, in October.

"They've adapted well to life here," says Zhou.

Typically, pandas need one to three months to settle in a foreign environment, but it takes them only a week in Shennongjia, thanks to the quality bamboo, water and air, she says.

The facility has also become quite popular with visitors.

Panda breeding might be taken up here in the future, says Zhou.

In a related development, its environmental protection efforts won Shennongjia the tag of a UNESCO World Heritage site in July, taking the total number of world heritage sites in China to 50.

At its June meeting, UNESCO officially awarded Shennongjia the World Heritage Site plate.

"The award is not only an honor but also a responsibility," says Li.