Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, or simply Chengdu Panda Base, is a non-profit research and breeding facility for giant pandas and other rare animals founded in 1987. It started with 6 giant pandas that were rescued from the wild. There more than 100 pandas in total now living a carefree life in the base. In the Panda Base, you can find rivers, lakes, brooks, ornamental green lawns and greens, wild bamboo forests which form the panda’s natural ecological environment. You can closely observe the giant pandas of different ages resting, eating and drinking, playing with each other, using enrichment toys, or watch female pandas nursing their cubs in the nursery rooms. There is a feeding time during 9:00 - 11:00 when giant pandas are the most active in a day. Besides of giant pandas, you can also see a large amount of rare wild animals in this base, such as peacocks, white swans, and black-necked cranes.

Carved into the side of Mt. Lingyun, the colossal statue of Leshan Giant Buddha is over 1,300-years-old and is considered to be the largest stone Buddha in the world, and by far the tallest pre-modern statue. The Giant Buddha sits at the junction of three rivers; the Min River, Qingyi River, and Dadu River. It faces the sacred Mount Emei with the rivers flowing below its feet and depicts a stout, smiling monk, calmly sitting, resting his hands upon his knees with heavy-lidded eyes gazing across the river. The statue is believed to be Maitreya, a Buddha and disciple of Sakyamuni. The appeal of the Buddha lies not only in its size but in its architectural craftsmanship. The entire statue is made of stone, except for the ears which were crafted out of wood, then affixed, and covered with clay. The Buddha’s hair is arranged in special spiraled curls with 1,021 twists that have been skillfully embedded in the head.