Giant panda star Fu Bao greets the public in southwest China

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)

CHENGDU, June 12 (Xinhua) -- 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.

Fu Bao turned up at the second hall of the panda nursery in the Shenshuping giant panda base of Wolong National Nature Reserve, following two months of inspection, quarantine and adaptation.

She returned to China in early April. According to Wei Rongping, deputy director of the center, 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 Jianbin, Fu Bao's breeder.

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.