Giant panda Fu Bao is seen at the Shenshuping giant panda base in Wolong National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Sichuan Province, May 27, 2024. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan)

Fu Bao, the first giant panda born in the Republic of Korea (ROK), met the public on Wednesday morning after returning to southwest China's Sichuan Province, the hometown of pandas.

Dozens of visitors and international media waited for the panda star, before Fu Bao walked into the yard of her enclosure in the Shenshuping giant panda base of Wolong National Nature Reserve at 9:35 a.m., following two months of inspection, quarantine and adaptation.

She paced slowly, sniffing and looking around curiously. After exploring her yard, she found the food prepared for her in the playground, where she indulged herself in a feast of bamboo shoots.

According to Cheng Jianbin, Fu Bao's breeder, the panda was fed with 30 to 40 kilograms of bamboo every day, as well as five to 10 kilograms of bamboo shoots. Veterinarians and breeders monitor her meal amount, defecation and mental state to ensure the bear lives a comfortable life.

Li Desheng, deputy director of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, said that Fu Bao's weight was a proof of her quick adaptation to the new environment. "It has been between 103 and 106 kilograms during the past two months," he said. "It is about the same as her weight in ROK, and within the normal range of pandas in this age group."

Fu Bao returned to China in early April. Wei Rongping from the Shenshuping base noted that the biggest challenge for her was how to fit into the "panda family" there.

"During the transitional period, Fu Bao could interact and get acquainted with her pals through odor and sound, or visit her neighbors, so as to adapt to the new environment quickly," said Cheng.

Starting from Wednesday, a flow restriction is implemented in accordance with the number of visitors to ensure the normal order around Fu Bao's enclosure, with visit time limited to five minutes per round.

Born in July 2020, Fu Bao, meaning "lucky treasure" in English, is the first cub of giant pandas Ai Bao and Le Bao, who were sent to ROK from China in 2016 on a 15-year lease. She quickly became an online sensation among netizens in ROK after her birth, becoming a source of joy for people during the COVID-19 pandemic.