The China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda has released footage of Ri Ri and Shin Shin upon their arrival in Sichuan Province after being returned from Japan.

When they arrived at an airport in Sichuan, officials looked inside their cages to check their condition.

The animals were moved to the panda research center's facility, where fans were waiting holding banners with messages such as, "Welcome home, Ri Ri and Shin Shin."

The two pandas were seen walking around briskly inside the facility. Tokyo's Ueno Zoo officials said both appear calm.

The pair had spent 13 years at Ueno Zoo on loan from China before being sent back on September 29.

Ri Ri and his mate Shin Shin, both 19, came to Japan in 2011.

They were returned to China while they can withstand the transport amid their old age and health conditions.