In 1869, French naturalist Armand David made the first scientific discovery of the giant panda in Baoxing County, Ya'an. In 2003, the Ya'an Base of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP) opened, integrating breeding, rescue, and rewilding, and is now one of the world's largest giant panda conservation and research facilities. After the 2008 earthquake, the base urgently took in giant pandas transferred from Wolong and shouldered the rescue mission. Today, through the Giant Panda National Park, Ya'an has shifted from species protection to ecosystem restoration, becoming a Chinese model for global biodiversity conservation.