CHENGDU: "She's so plumpy. Does she bite?" 16-year-old Irena asks as she carefully cuddles Jingjing, an eight-month-old giant panda.

"It's so wonderful to hold a panda in your arms," she says with a smile spreading across her face as she poses for a photo.

Irena is one of 10 survivors of the 2004 school hostage crisis in Beslan, southern Russia, who are visiting China on a therapeutic trip.

They will be in the country for a month, with the eagerly anticipated meeting with the cuddly bear believed to be an important part of their therapy.

Irena was nervous at first and her legs shook a little as she sat with her peers on a bench at the giant panda "nursery" in Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan Province, waiting for the zookeeper to introduce her to the bear.

She hummed a Russian song to boost her courage.

"Panda bears are so different from Russia's brown bears," said her friend Taimuraz, 16.

"I really like pandas," 14-year-old Zarina pitched in. "I've only ever seen pictures of them before. This is the first time I've ever touched and felt a lovely panda."

Taimuraz bought a toy panda at the souvenir shop as she left the giant pandas' breeding and research centre.

"I'll take this panda home," she said with a sense of satisfaction.

The group is scheduled to leave for Russia tomorrow.

On September 1, 2004, the girls were among more than 1,000 children and adults taken hostage by a group of armed militants in Beslan.

In the ensuing battle, the school was set on fire and more than 331 civilians more than half of them children were killed.

Countries around the globe, including China, have offered medical assistance to Russia following the hostage crisis.

Source: China Daily