Giant panda "Mei Lan" eats bamboo at the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Base in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, March 15, 2010. "Mei Lan" was shown to visitors on March 15 for the first time since it returned to China on Feb. 5, 2010 from the United States Atlanta Zoo, where it was born on Sept. 6, 2006.

CHENGDU, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Mei Lan, a giant panda born in the United States, greeted the Chinese public Monday, almost 40 days after her arrival at a breeding base in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

The 3-year-old female stepped out her new home, the No. 2 "villa" at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, at 10 a.m. into the glare of flashbulbs.

Mei Lan became irritable and lost her appetite on arrival, but she had adapted to the diet, climate and environment after about a month in quarantine, said Li Mingxi, the base's animal management specialist.

"She is making progress in understanding Sichuan dialect," Li said.

Mei Lan, who was born and raised at Zoo Atlanta, used to be a fussy eater, but she had gained 6 kg weight in the past 40 days, Li said.