In a much anticipated event, two giant pandas left China on Monday en route to the National Zoo in Washington DC.

The 3-year-old giant pandas — Bao Li (a male born on Aug 4, 2021) and Qing Bao (a female born on Sept 12, 2021) — are on the way from the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Sichuan province, the China Wildlife Conservation Association said on Monday.

Bao Li means "treasure" and "energetic" in Chinese and Qing Bao, "treasure in green mountains".

The pair will soon start their 10-year life abroad, according to an agreement signed by the association and the zoo in April.

Bao Li is the son of Bao Bao, a female giant panda who was born at the National Zoo in 2013, and the grandson of Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, the DC zoo's last panda couple.

"We believe that the new round of China-US international cooperation on giant panda conservation will, on the basis of the existing good cooperation, produce more results in the prevention and control of major giant panda diseases, epidemic prevention and control, scientific and technological exchanges, and support for the wild protection of giant pandas and the construction of the Giant Panda National Park, and make new contributions to global biodiversity conservation and enhancing the friendship between the two peoples," the association said in a statement.

China sent experts to the National Zoo for guidance and prepared water, medicine and various food items, such as wowotou (steamed corn bread), bamboo shoots and carrots for the pandas during the flight.

The National Zoo, which is part of the Smithsonian Institution, has renovated the pandas' habitat and supplied it with a stable source of edible bamboo.

"Something *giant* is coming to Washington, D.C. via the @FedEx Panda Express! The Zoo will be closed to the public tomorrow, Oct. 15. For the safety of the pandas and staff, we will not disclose any additional timing," the zoo posted on X on Monday evening.

The bears are being transported from Chengdu on a FedEx Boeing 777 cargo jet called the "Panda Express", reported The Washington Post. FedEx posted Monday on X that the Panda Express was "on the move".