Chengdu is the capital of "Heavenly State" (Tian Fu Zhi Guo), habitat of giant pandas and city of cotton-rose hibiscus. Located in the west of Sichuan Basin and in the center of Chengdu Plain, Chengdu covers a total area of 12,132 square kilometers with a population of over 11 million.

History

The history of Chengdu can be traced back 2,400 when the first emperor built his capital here and named the city. Through thousands of years its original name has been kept and its position as the capital and as the significant center of politics, commerce and military of the Sichuan area (once called Shu) has remained unchanged. Since the Han (206B.C.-220) and Tang (618-907) Dynasties when its handicraft industry flourished, Chengdu has been famous for its brocades and embroideries.

Tourism

A two-thousand-year history leaves Chengdu with numerous historical places of interest. Fertile lands and a favorable climate endow the city with picturesque surrounding scenic landscapes. 

Wolong Panda Reserve in the east of Mt. Qionglai, and a 3-hours drive from Chengdu, is a comprehensive state natural reserve of 200,000 hectares (i.e. 494,200 acres). Set up in 1963, Wolong National Natural Reserve is the earliest, largest and best-known panda reserve in China. It was placed on UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve Network in 1980. Sixty-seven captive pandas are among 150 pandas in Wolong Panda Reserve managed by the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda. The Center was founded in 1980 with assistance from World Wildlife Fund. Hi-tech is commonplace in the Research Center, which is a world leader in propagating the panda species. Tourists can take pictures with mice-like panda babies.

People from all nations are welcome to adopt pandas through naming them with an accompanying donation. Pandas are national treasures and also goodwill ambassadors. Wildlife observation spots opened in Wolong National Natural Reserve attract explorers, tourists, animal-lovers as well as scientists. Occasionally wild pandas may show up in the Reserve. Every year more than 100, 000 visitors come to Wolong National Natural Reserve. Reputed as bio-gene bank both at home and abroad, Wolong National Natural Reserve is home not only to the giant pandas but also to rare and endangered animals such as red panda, golden monkey, white-lipped deer (Cervus albirostris), gnu (wildebeest) and precious plants like yew and beech. Wolong National Natural Reserve is a fairyland for tourists. Wolong National Natural Reserve enjoys warm and humid climate favorable to bamboo, pandas' favorite food. At the same time, mountains are above 5, 000 meters (16,400 feet) varying from 6, 250 meters (20,500 feet) to 1, 150 meters (3, 772 feet). These contribute to bio-diversity preservation as well as spectacular beauty of natural scene in Wolong National Natural Reserve.

Jiuzhaigou Valley is located in Nanping County, 450 kilometers (about 280 miles) to the north of Chengdu City. Its name is due to the existence of nine stockaded villages of Tibetan origin, and it is always regarded as a holy mountain and watercourse by the Tibetan people. It is said that if there should be wonderlands on the earth, Jiuzhaigou Valley must be one of them. There is no equal elsewhere that has sceneries and fables of dreamlike eloquence, or natural purities like a fairyland as Jiuzhaigou Valley.

Jiuzhaigou Valley is a great masterpiece of nature having dreamlike scenery and abundant natural resources. It combines blue lakes, waterfalls, verdant forests, snow-covered mountains, and the folk customs of the Tibetan and Qiang peoples. This region covers more than 600 square kilometers (about 230 square miles), and includes areas such as Shuzheng Valley, Rize Valley, Zechawa Valley and Zharu Valley, etc. The main beauty spots such as calc-sinter lake groups, waterfalls, and other waterscapes, as well as 12 summits make Jiuzhaigou Valley a wonderful appearance.

Legend has it; that long, long ago the deity of mountain named Dago had a crush on the goddess Semo, and he gave a mirror that was made from wind and cloud to the goddess. However, the devil appeared and made trouble to Semo. Inadvertently, Semo broke the mirror into 108 pieces, which fell down to the earth and then turned to 108 colorful lakes. The lake is also called Haizi by local people.

Sanxingdui Museum is located in Northeast of Sanxingdu archeological site, west of the famous cultural city of Guanghan, on the bank of Jian River (commonly called Yazi River), 40 kilometers (about 24.9 miles) north of Chengdu City. Covering an exhibition area of 4,000 square meters (about 1544.4 square miles), and opened in October 1997 this is an archeological museum with excellent modern facilities. The cultural relics in the museum were mostly unearthed from the Sanxingdui site. In order to know about the museum we should know more about the Sanxingdui site.

Sanxingdui is a cultural relic of the ancient Shu (Sichuan). It is an important archeological discovery which changed the people's understanding of ancient history and culture. If you want to visit a place to know more about Chinese Shu (Sichuan) culture, make it this one, for the civilization shown by the cultural relics can be called a true wonder.

Sanxingdui refers to three earth mounds at the site. Hence the site found here is called Sanxingdui Relic. The Relic area stretches for about 12 square kilometers (about 4.6 square miles), which is the largest, oldest, and most connotational Shu cultural relic in Sichuan. It is said that the Heavenly Emperor cast down three handfuls of earth which fell near the Jian River and became three earth mounds on Chengdu Plain. The three earth piles, described as three golden stars in a line, hence became known as Sanxingdui (three-star piles). Now affirmed by modern archaeology, the three earth mounds of the Sanxingdui Relic are in reality the southern wall of an ancient city that was built of earth. There are two breaches in the city wall, after the collapse and subsequent erosion; it became the three mounds we see today.

The discovery of Sanxingdui Relic is heart-stirring but some cultural relics remain enigmatic. According to experts, Sanxingdui Relic is the centuries-old center of the ancient Shu on Chengdu Plain. In order to well preserve and display the cultural relics, the Sanxingdui Museum laid the foundation in 1992 and opened in October, 1997. The museum is divided into four sections, displayed more than 1000 pieces of cultural relics from Sanxingdui Relic and the two sacrificial pits of Shang Period, including gold plate, bronze ware, jade articles, pottery and ivory. Each of the four sections has its own theme.

Section 1 Splendor of Ancient Shu Culture. The section is divided into five units. The first unit outlines the history of the ancient Shu and introduced the background of the ancient Shu. The next four units reflected skill, imagination and technical achievements of the Shu people through their handicraft techniques. Section 2 is Mystery of the Primitive Faith. The exhibition in this section focuses on one topic, human and divinity. It adopted the imitative real scene to show the mental world of Shu people. Section 3 is Exquisite Cultural Artifacts. More than 10 groups of cultural relics exhibited here are the soul treasures that symbolize the Shu people's ever lasting spirit. Section 4 is Excavation and Study. This section is a scientific display that introduced the impact of the Sanxingdui Relic overseas, the discovery and excavation of the site, the vital position of Sanxingdui Relic in academic study, to reflect all facets of Sanxingdui Relic.

For the swarms of tourists all year around, a new Exhibition Hall was opened on May Day in 2004, covering an exhibition area of 7,000 square meters. The exhibition in this hall is mainly a complex display of jade articles, gold plate and pottery, with the old Exhibition Hall specializing in bronze wares. Sanxingdui Relic is the spiritual homeland of the ancient Shu people and the Sanxingdui Museum is the place for modern people to meet the ancient Shu.

Dujiangyan Irrigation Project

In China, Chengdu is always praised as the Tian Fu Zhi Guo, which means 'Nature's Storehouse'. Over 2,200 years ago, the city was threatened by the frequent floods caused by flooding of the Minjiang River (a tributary of the Yangtze River ). Li Bing, a local official of Sichuan Province at that time, together with his son, decided to construct an irrigation system on the Minjiang River to prevent flooding. After a lengthy study and a lot of hard work by the local people, the great Dujiangyan Irrigation Project was completed. Since then, the Chengdu Plain has been free of flooding and the people have been living peacefully and affluently. Now, the project is honored as the 'Treasure of Sichuan', which still plays a crucial role in draining off floodwater, irrigating farms and providing water resources for more than 50 cities in the province.

Dujiangyan is the oldest and only surviving no-dam irrigation system in the world; and a wonder in the development of Chinese science. The project consists of three important parts, namely Yuzui, Feishayan and Baopingkou scientifically designed to automatically control the water flow of the rivers from the mountains to the plains throughout the year.

Yuzui, like a big fish lying in the Minjiang River, is a watershed dividing the river into two parts: Inner River and Outside River. Feisha Yan is a spillway that diverts the sand and stones of the inner river into the outer river. Baoping Kou, like a neck of a bottle, is used to bring water into the inner river from Minjiang. At the same time, Baoping Kou controls the amount of the intake water due to its reasonable location. These three parts interact with each other perfectly to form an effective water conservancy project. During the low-water season, 60% of the Minjiang water is brought into the inner river for irrigation while 40% of the water is drawn into the outside river. The situation is reversed in the flood season ensuring the water supply for irrigation and protection from flooding on the Chengdu Plain.

There is a magnificent bridge called the Anlan Cable Bridge crossing the Minjiang River above Yuzui, which is the most scenic place in Dujiangyan. The construction of the bridge originally commenced before the Song Dynasty (960-1279). At that time, the body of the bridge was constructed with wooden blocks and the handrails were made of bamboo. Recently the wood and bamboo were replaced with steel and reinforced concrete to ensure the security of the visitors. Seen from afar, the bridge looks like a rainbow hanging over the river. From the bridge, you can clearly see the entire layout of the Dujiangyan system.

Du Fu's Thatched Cottage: During the Tang Dynasty, art, literature and music flourished. Of special note were the Tang Dynasty Poets, who were revered then, as they are today. One of the most famous, Du Fu, lived in Chengdu for five years. His home, a simple thatched cottage, is a well-visited attraction in town. 

Climate

The subtropical monsoon climate influenced by Sichuan Basin brings the annual average temperature in Chengdu to about 16 C (61 F). Another distinctive feature is humidity with clouds and mist and little sunlight. Chengdu's summer is sultry with low temperature morning and evening, but high after noon. To avoid strong ultraviolet radiation and to stay dry, take a raincoat. The average temperature in winter is about 5 degrees Centigrade. However, due to the clouds and moist weather, it feels very cold. The best time to visit Chengdu is from March to June and from September to November.

Table of statistics for Chengdu climate for each month of the year