"Hello, Eternal Baby Panda"... Fubao Moves to China

Pubaobao Departs for China Player Ping Base on the 3rd
Trainer Kang Cheol-won to Accompany to China

Everland, operated by Samsung C&T Resort Division, announced on the 3rd that the giant panda 'Pubao,' born through the first natural breeding in Korea, has departed for the Wolong Xueshuping Base in Sichuan Province, China, to begin a new life.

Giant panda 'Pubao' born at Everland and sent to China after 3 days /
[Photo by Everland]

Pubao left Panda World at 10:40 a.m. and departed Everland around 11 a.m. After arriving at Incheon Airport, Pubao completed departure procedures and boarded a charter flight to China. To prepare for this, Pubao underwent quarantine procedures for a month starting last month, in accordance with regulations and conditions of both Korea and China.

Before leaving Everland, Pubao passed the parade route and said a final goodbye to fans in front of the Rose Garden fountain. Despite it being a weekday morning, many fans visited the farewell site. They waved Pubao flags, expressed their regrets, and cheered for Pubao's future.

During this process, Everland prepared a flower path shaped like rapeseed flowers along with pre-collected fan support messages to send off Pubao. Additionally, a large LED screen displayed photos and special videos of Pubao, allowing fans to commemorate their memories with Pubao.

Gang Cheol-won and Song Young-kwon, the keepers known as Pubao's grandfathers, expressed their gratitude to the fans on behalf of Pubao at the farewell event. Keeper Song said, "Thanks to the fans' love, Pubao has grown well." Keeper Gang requested, "Please remember Pubao forever."

Gang Cheol-won (center) and zookeeper Song Young-kwan taking a commemorative photo with Fubao, who just turned two years old /
[Photo by Everland]

Keeper Gang plans to accompany Pubao to the Xueshuping Base in China to help ensure a stable settlement. Everland, which signed an agreement with China CCTV at the end of last year, plans to continuously share Pubao's life in China with fans.

Pubao was born on July 20, 2020, to mother Aibao and father Lebao. True to the meaning of the name, "a treasure that brings happiness," Pubao has brought happiness, memories, and emotion to many people in Korea for 1,354 days since birth.

Since Pubao was first revealed to the public in January 2021 until the 3rd of this month, the number of visitors to Panda World reached 5.5 million. This means that one out of every ten Koreans has met Pubao. Last year, when the Pubao craze was at its peak, Panda World had 2.15 million visitors, double the 1.07 million visitors in 2020 before Pubao's appearance.