Photo taken on Oct. 18 shows the 6 pandas in Bifengxia Panda Base in Ya'an, southwest China's Sichuan Province. The six pandas left the Bifengxia Panda Base on Oct. 27 for Guangzhou to meet with the visitors during the 16th Asian Games on Wednesday. [Xinhua]

The panda keepers will stay in Guangzhou for at least six months while the pandas will spend a year in Xiangjiang Safari Park.

Zhou said that at first all the food for the pandas will be transported from the Bifeng Gorge Breeding Base.

"All the six Asian Games pandas are very healthy and in their weaning period," he said, adding that each panda can now eat 5 to 6 kilograms of bamboo shoots and is fed 1,400 grams of special milk powder every day.

Many Guangzhou residents have cheered for the arrival of the pandas.

Chen Xinwen, mother of a 6-year-old son, said pandas are really cute and she will certainly bring her son to see them.

"My son has never seen a real panda, let alone such lovely little ones," she said.

Pandas have been heavily involved in China's major international events in recent years.

In the spring of 2008, eight Sichuan-born pandas were sent to Beijing for the Olympic Games. Beijing Zoo authorities said 2.1 million people visited the Olympic pandas during their 10-month stay in the capital.

And 10 panda cubs from Sichuan are now in Shanghai for the World Expo, which is scheduled to conclude on Sunday.