Great WallImagine yourself in ancient China, thousands of years ago, as you travel the Silk Road from Beijing to the Roman Empire on the back of a two-humped camel or witness the invention of paper and ink, kites, umbrellas, the compass, and even fireworks!

And travel to China today, the most populated country in the world, where factories exporting goods around the world fill the skyline and the countryside and then cross the Great Wall so large it can be seen from space. Or visit the bamboo forests, high in the mountains of China, where the most endangered creature on Earth lives-the giant panda.

Giant pandas are one of the most endangered species on Earth with only around 1,000 still living in the wild. There are a few zoos around the world that have pandas living in captivity. The Chinese government loans pandas to zoos in other countries so all countries can study the panda and try to protect it.

The panda is a mammal covered with thick, wooly fur. It is mostly white with black fur around its eyes and covering its shoulders, legs and ears. The panda resembles both a bear and a raccoon. For years scientists believed the panda was related to the raccoon family, but newer research shows that it is more closely related to bears. Some scientists think the panda is in a family all its own. The Chinese name for the giant panda means "great bear cat."

Pandas live in the mountains of China where it can get very cold during the winter months. Their paws are covered with fur to keep them warm and to help the panda grip the ice- and snow- covered ground. A full-grown panda weighs between 165 and 350 pounds (75 and 160 kilograms). Baby pandas are very fragile and weigh only 3 to 5 ounces (85 to 142 grams) at birth. They are all white when they are born and develop their black spots after about a month. Baby pandas are weaned at around 9 months but often stay with their monthers for up to 18 months.

The giant panda has very strong paws and teeth to crush bamboo, its main food source. Climbing up into and hiding in the forests of bamboo, it eats 20 to 40 pounds (9 to 18 kilograms) of bamboo per day. It munches and crunches and continuously eats for 10 to 16 hours a day. The biggest threat to the panda is the widespread destruction of its natural habitat. The bamboo forests have become smaller and smaller due to a growing human population.

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