Shanghai's giant panda Ya Ya is back home, after 20 years in US

After 20 years away, giantpanda Ya Ya returned home on Thursday to a warm welcome and an outpouring of affection from millions of her online and in-person fans.

Ya Ya landed at Shanghai Pudong International Airport in the afternoon following a 16-hour special FedEx aircraft from Memphis, Tennessee, in the United States.

Her Chinese fans expressed their desire to see Ya Ya in good health and living the rest of her life "at home."

Waving at Ya Ya's aircraft before it landed in Shanghai, local resident Cheng Bei told China Daily,"We all hope that either now or in the future, either at home or abroad, giant pandas can receive love and respect from the whole world. I hope that Ya Ya can recover soon and wish her a long life."

As of Thursday evening, the Sina Weibo hashtag "Ya Ya has landed in Shanghai" had received 430 million views.

Top comments included "After 20 years, our baby finally back" and "I was moved to tears by her return."

Ya Ya is extremely popular in China, but animal specialists say fans will have to wait to see the giantpanda because she requires time to adjust to her new living environment.

The pandareached an old age at the age of 23, the equal of nearly 80 human years.

According to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Ya Ya was born at the Beijing Zoo and transferred to the Memphis Zoo in Tennessee in 2003 for a joint research and conservation work.

Sun Quanhui, a scientist at World Animal Protection told China Daily thatYa Ya will have to adapt to a new living environment, which may take a while,as she had lived in a different countryfor 20 years.

"During the time (of adapting), tourists should minimize her disturbance and breeders need to provide her with nutritious food and a suitable living environment to help her get accustomed to the new environment as soon as possible," he said.

Under Chinese regulations, Ya Ya must be quarantined for 30 days to determine whether she has any unknown infections, he said.

Shanghai Zoo has set out a unique quarantine area for Ya Ya, complete with dwellings, sports areas, and food-processing rooms. A significant quantity of bamboo and other food has also been prepared. According to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, throughout the quarantine period, a team of panda experts from Beijing Zoo would be on standby 24 hours a day.

After Ya Ya has completed her quarantine, she will be sent to the Beijing Zoo, where living quarters, medical services, and food supplies have been provided.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE: