As a half Kangba Tibetan, Philip is the founder of AbsolutePanda and is a native of Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. He has a deep love for his Kangba Tibetan heritage and the land where he was born and raised. Philip's career has gone from mining technician to teacher, to translator, and finally to a guide and tour operator. Along the way, Philip discovered his passion and love for helping tourists understand the beauty and history of his people and homeland. Philip is known for his ability to plan and execute unique and exciting adventure trips exploring the sights off the usual tourist routes. He is active, open-minded, and adventurous and always ready to share interesting and useful information with his clients. As a travel professional working in this field for more than 15 years, Philip believes travel is an art and a process of learning and discovery. Each trip is a unique artistic work created with knowledge and expertise based on the resources available and the interests and tastes of travelers. To help more people to understand the unique resources in panda habitats and neighboring areas, he established AbsolutePanda to bring his educational fun-filled tours to more people eager to explore and learn about China. Also, Philip is an active and knowledgeable birder and a dedicated photographer.
Reviews and thanks from our former clients towards Philip:
“Absolute Panda and Philip are the Best!!”
After reading trip advisor and getting a recommendation from a colleague, I booked a trip with Philip and Absolute Panda. It is the best trip and experience I have ever had with a tour group. Philip really personalizes your trip and provides great suggestions per your requests. His expertise and knowledge about the pandas was exceptional. We were one of the first people in the park as he had bought the tickets ahead of time. I was also able to be the first to sign up to spend several minutes petting a panda (well worth the additional 2000 RMB). It was definitely a highlight. They also only allow 20 people a day to handle the pandas so getting their early is a must and Philip knew exactly where to go to ensure I was able to book a spot with the panda for later in the morning.
After the Pandas, we took a trip to the ancient town of Luodai and ate at a local eatery. It was nice to experience some of the favorite foods in Sichuan and not be at a typical tourist restaurant. The shopping was great and very affordable and it appeared that I was the only tourist there. We also visited Jinli market which is a replica of a Han Dynasty (2000 years ago). It was beautifully decorated for the upcoming Chinese New Year or Spring Festival. The day was topped off by the Sichuan Opera which offered many skits including the famous face changing, folk music, opera singing, dancing and marionettes.
Philip is also an excellent photographer and shared all his photos he took during our tour. In addition, because his camera was so much better than mine we used his camera for the Panda Research staff to take photos of me and the panda Shuang Xin (age 1 year 4 months).
Please take advantage of visiting Chengdu when you are either in Beijing or Shanghai as it is a short flight from either city. Philip and Absolute Panda are highly recommended and I plan to fly back and book his tour company to visit Jiuzhaigou as well as the other panda base. Philip's knowledge and pricing for what you get in an experience can not be beat. Thank you Absolute Panda!!
“Highlight of my 2-month stay in China - I know whom to thank!”
I was on a business trip in Chengdu and wanted to explore the surrounding areas a bit. I was so lucky to find Philip and Absolute Panda! Philip is responsive, knowledgeable and super helpful. I told him a few places I'd really love to see (panda bears + the Dujiangyan irrigation project) and he arranged a great one day trip for me. In the morning we visited the Panda Breeding Center and I still treasure every moment of it. He made sure we arrived early so we got to see the pandas at their most active and playful (before it gets too hot for them). Philip also helped me secure a spot at the Panda Interaction Center to ensure I was one of the lucky few on that day to be able to hold a baby panda bear. The "donation" cost a bit more than $200 but I think it's totally worth it. Without Philip it would have been very difficult for me to navigate through the center, and I absolutely couldn't have been able to find the Interaction Center (not very well marked as another reviewer mentioned) myself! In the afternoon we visited the Dujiangyan irrigation project, which is very impressive as well. It's amazing that it was designed and built more than two thousand years ago and is still functioning well. It is not as famous as the Great Wall, but its impact certainly far outweighed that of the Wall. Philip is also an accomplished photographer and brought along his professional grade camera. He took many pictures that day and kindly offered to have all pictures downloaded to my PC...
It was a fantastic day. I would recommend Absolute Panda to everyone!!!
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