00:00An early morning touchdown in Adelaide, ending a 15-hour journey from China.
00:07It was then a delicate operation to unload the precious cargo and transport Australia's
00:11new panda pair to their new home at Adelaide Zoo.
00:14It is very symbolic because it brings with them the friendship of the Chinese people
00:20and the Chinese government to Australia.
00:24Four-year-old male Xing Qu, meaning Autumn Star, and three-year-old female Yi Lan, meaning
00:29Idly Blissful, were given the all-clear by vets and are now adjusting to life down under.
00:35They need to be in quarantine for about a month, but then they'll be able to be on display
00:40and I'm sure that they'll be embraced yet again.
00:43Yi Lan and Xing Qu replace Wang Wang and Funi, who returned to China last month after 15
00:49years at Adelaide Zoo.
00:51Just like their predecessors who captivated crowds, the new pandas are expected to be
00:55a tourism drawcard.
00:57The only place in the southern hemisphere to see the giant pandas is in Adelaide.
01:02But unlike Wang Wang and Funi, it's hoped these two might have better luck starting
01:06a family.
01:07They are three and four years old.
01:09They are not ready to have babies yet, but let's see, let's see.
01:14We will expect very highly of that.
01:19Adelaide is experiencing very warm temperatures today, but Chinese officials say while it
01:24is hotter than back home, measures are being taken to make the heat a little more bearable.
01:29They have air conditioning just like we do in the airplane and of course they have prepared
01:38very well.
01:39The pair are on loan from China at a cost around $1.5 million a year.
01:43They're also part of China's soft power, or what's known as panda diplomacy.
01:47The South Australian government hopes they help build on the country's relationship with
01:51China.
01:52China is Australia's biggest trading partner, most significant trading partner.
01:56Yilan and Hsinchu are expected to be on show to the public from mid-January.
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