Washington (CNN)  -- It feels like it went by in the blink of an eye. Tai Shan, the giant panda cub so many people have come to know and love, is about to board a flight to China. "It's very bittersweet. We love him. We love having him here," said Erika Bauer, curator at the National Zoo in Washington. Tai Shan was born in the nation's capital, so you can confidently call him a Washingtonian. But he is to be sent to China, under an agreement between the two nations, to help replenish the endangered species' numbers in the wild.
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Tai Shan, a 4-year-old giant panda, is to be delivered to China next week
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A farewell party was held at the National Zoo in Washington on Saturday
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He'll be joined in China by Mei Lan -- a 3-year-old panda born at Zoo Atlanta in Georgia
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They will take part in a breeding program aimed at increasing China's panda population
At 4½ years old, Tai Shan is more of a panda adolescent than a cub, but to @placeholder fans, he will always be their baby.