Giant pandas arrive back in China after two decades at Smithsonian’s National zoo

Three giant pandas have landed safely in China after 23 years living at the Smithsonian’s national zoo in the US.

Tian Tian and Mei Xiang spent more than 20 years in the US on loan from China.

Together with their cub Xiao Qi Ji, the pair travelled from Washington, DC to Chengdu “with plenty of bamboo,” the zoo said.

The Smithsonian’s giant panda program started when Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai loaned two pandas to the US after President Richard Nixon’s visit to China in 1972.

Tian Tian, Mei Xiang and Xiao Qi Ji have returned to China ahead of the exchange agreement expiring on 7 December.