19:16 Beijing Time

China's giant pandas Hao Hao and Xing Hui are getting ready to walk out of the charter plane.

19:08 Beijing Time

The charter plane which takes giant pandas Hao Hao and Xing Hui has arrived in Belgium at 19:08 Beijing Time.

Panda lover

Actually, this is not the first time for China's national treasures to visit the country. In 1987, Wan Wan and Xi Xi were loaned to the Antwerp zoo for six months. Although that visit created wonder and excitement and drew the crowds, one 28-year-old Belgian, Jeroen Jacobs, remembered his childhood visit to see them something much more.

"That was the start of my passion for pandas, and now as a panda-specialized website owner, I am so exciting to come to the pandas' hometown to report the pair to my hometown!" he excitedly told China Daily

Pandas boost ties

'A wedding ceremony'

Eric Domb told China Daily that he feels like a couple preparing for its wedding ceremony due to the impending arrival of two pandas at his zoo in Brussels.

He said new couples start to feel happy in the days after the event when they are not busy anymore.

"I will feel better when I see the pandas eating bamboos and sleeping well in our zoo.”

Belgian Ambassador to China Michel Malherbe said over 10,000 people have registered for the welcome ceremony of China's two giant pandas in his country.

Kungfu panda – a global panda icon

Panda has long been a Chinese cultural icon. PanPan, a smiling panda, was the official mascot of the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing, which also host Summer Olympics in 2008.

Featuring two Chinese culture icons, martial arts and panda, Kung Fu Panda, a Hollywood animation made Po, the main character, a global panda image. The first movie of the trilogy climbed to top of the box office at its first opening weekend, prompting two sequels.

Slides

Giant panda Hao Hao (seven photos) and Xing Hui (21 photos). Hundreds of people attended a ceremony on Saturday morning to see the two pandas off.

Giant panda Xing Hui eats a carrot. [Photo taken on Feb 19.]

Giant panda Xing Hui [Photo taken on Feb 19.]

A slide of 33 photos shows how a giant panda is moved to the container [Photo by Cao Huan/chinadaily.com.cn]

Background: How to legally get a panda

By 1982, 24 Chinese giant pandas had been presented to nine countries including the former Soviet Union, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the United States, Japan, France, Britain, Mexico, Spain and the Federal Republic of Germany.

Donations to other countries stopped in the 1980s. The only way to get a panda now is by leasing one, or through research cooperation.

Currently, 43 guest pandas, including their foreign-born cubs, live in 17 zoos in 12 countries who have established research cooperation with China. Among these, 41 belong to China.The Mexican pair are descendants of those donated in the 1980s.

When choosing pandas to go on missions abroad, a pair of hometown friends are usually chosen. Although it is an "arranged marriage", it helps breeding research. In Zhang Hemin's words, "do not waste giant pandas' youth."

If a foreign country wants a giant panda, step one is submitting an application, but not all applications are accepted. Climate, facilities, technology and potential panda habitat are taken into consideration. The preparations often take over a year.

Keeper

Transferring

Xing Hui, the male, and Hao Hao, the female, are both four years old and are bound for Belgium's Pairi Daiza zoo for the next 15 years.

Michel Malherbe said the pair symbolize China's trust in Belgium, since very few countries had received pandas for such a long period of time.

"They can be a symbol of deeper understanding and friendship between the younger generations of both countries," he said.

Belgium is willing to deepen bilateral cooperation with China in such fields as high-level visits, foreign investment and people-to-people exchange, especially among younger generations.

The Dujiangyan base of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda was built in 2011 with financial support from the Hong Kong SAR government following the May 12, 2008, Sichuan earthquake and was officially opened in March 2013.

Located in Shiqiao village, Qingcheng Mountain township of Dujiangyan city, the panda base is modeled on a typical western Sichuan folk house filled with bamboo and grass. The area boasts an excellent ecological environment, plenty of edible bamboo for pandas and a pollution-free water source.

Covering a total area of 506,667 square meters and a construction area of 12,542 square meters, the base consists of six functional zones: rescue and quarantine, disease control and research, rehabilitation, training and feeding, reception and education, natural vegetation and service.

As China's first research base for the rescue and disease control of wild giant pandas, the base can help or manage rescue work of up to 40 giant pandas at a time. The first batch of 10 injured pandas moved into the base at its 2013 opening.

Dujiangyan Base will open to tourists this year.

Previous report: Beyond 'panda diplomacy'

The world loves pandas. The enigmatic, retiring beasts have become a global symbol of international friendship since China first began sending them as gifts to foreign countries in the 1950s.

Until now, that is.

In September, the decision by Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo to locate a pair of giant pandas at Pairi Daiza zoo in the French-speaking region of Wallonia sparked widespread anger among the country's Flemish-speaking population.

Video stars

Cell phone video taken by a China Daily reporter shows Xinghui, the male panda to be shipped to Belgium on Saturday.

Cell phone video taken by a China Daily reporter shows a 7-year-old giant panda Wang Jia at the Ya'an Bifengxia Base of China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda.

A slide of 31 pictures of giant pandas at the Ya'an Bifengxia Base of China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda [Photo by Cao Huan/chinadaily.com.cn]

Photos

Panda Xing Hui, the male born on July 22, 2009, weighs 110 kilograms and loves bamboo leaves. He also loves playing with peers and the feeder.

The female panda, Hao Hao, born on July 7, 2009, weighing 118 kilograms, is a beautiful lady in panda circles. She once participated in the 16th Guangzhou Asian Games.