Jeremy Browne (in shirt) and Simon Lever, Consul-General of the British Consulate-General in Chonging, chatted with the owner of a tea garden in Ya'an. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

Looking at pandas having a meal and playing on a tree, Jeremy Browne was all smiles in the Bifengxia base of China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Ya'an, Sichuan province, on Nov 17.

The Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the British Government said one would not feel bored gazing at the cute pandas.

During his five-day visit to China, Browne, who had never seen a panda before, visited Tian Tian (meaning "sweetie" in Chinese) and Yang Guang (meaning "sunlight") which would arrive at the Edinburgh Zoo in Britain by the end of the year.

The panda pair, which will be the first giant pandas to live in the UK in 17 years, will stay in the Edinburgh Zoo for 10 years for joint research in panda breeding.

After seeing the panda pair, Browne who had been to a rural area in western China before visited a tea garden in a village in Zhongfeng township in Ya'an and chatted with its owner, a local farmer.