This photo was taken on April 25, 2023 shows giant panda Ya Ya at the Memphis Zoo in Memphis, the United States.(PHOTO / XINHUA)

SHANGHAI - Giant panda Ya Ya arrived at Shanghai Pudong International Airport on Thursday from Memphis, Tennessee.

Ya Ya returned to China from the United States after a 20-year loan for a joint research and conservation project, according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

A vehicle transferring giant panda Ya Ya leaves the Memphis Zoo for the airport in Memphis, the United States, April 26, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

In December, the Memphis Zoo announced that it would return Ya Ya, who arrived in the US in 2003.

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The zoo hosted a farewell party for the 23-year-old female panda on April 8, with hundreds of people attending the event, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Staff members transfer a cage loaded with giant panda Ya Ya at the Memphis Zoo in Memphis, the United States, April 26, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

In January, Chinese netizens showed their concern for Ya Ya, who appeared somewhat malnourished in pictures and videos posted

In January, Chinese netizens showed their concern for Ya Ya, who appeared somewhat malnourished in pictures and videos posted.

ALSO READ: Memphis Zoo in US holds sendoff for giant panda Ya Ya

In response, the Chinese Association of Zoological Gardens said in an announcement that the zoo had taken good care of her, and there is no indication that she was neglected, based on videos of her and the results of monthly health reports and annual physical examinations.

In 2006, Ya Ya began to shed fur, a condition that worsened in 2014. Experts at the Memphis Zoo and in China tried various forms of treatment but were unable to resolve the problem, the association said.