Saying farewell: Giant panda Ya Ya ate bamboo during a farewell party at the Memphis Zoo in Tennessee, US, on April 8. It will return to China at the end of this month. About 500 people attended the farewell party for the panda. Ya Ya, who was born at Beijing Zoo in 2000, traveled to Memphis Zoo in 2003 as part of a Sino-US giant panda protection and research program. China is ready to welcome Ya Ya back.