CHENGDU- Twenty-three giant panda cubs posed for a Chinese New Year greeting Friday (Jan 20) at a breeding base in the south-western Chinese city of Chengdu, Xinhua news agency reported.

The furry bears were all born in the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding last year, it said.

Each held by its own keeper, the cubs squirmed and waved in front of a giant board written with "Happy Spring Festival".

"They are all in very good health," Wu Kongju, head of the management department of the breeding base, was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the breeding base. Since its founding, it has bred 243 giant panda cubs, of which 176 still survive.