Chengdu, a city where once you come, you would be reluctant to leave.....
Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan province ,is the home of the Giant Panda, the center of
science and technology, culture, trade, tourism and transportation in the southwest area of China.
Situated in the southwest of China, the Sichuan province has a large population with a coverage
of 485 thousand square kilometers. It boasts a long history, splendid culture and over 4500 years’
civilization. Having ancient temples , ancient towns and scenic spots, Sichuan also houses the world
cultural heritages including Jiuzhai Valley, Mt. Qingcheng, Dujiangyan Irrigation Project, Mt.Emei,
the Leshan Giant Buddha and Sanxingdui Ruins with its thousand-year long mystery. The national
minority ethnic community is known for its abundant wealth, honest people, mild climate, and the
wealth of cultural tourism resources. If you want to learn the rich culture of China, taste the unique
ethnic customs in the country, Sichuan would be the first choice.
Chengdu, the center of science and technology and culture.....
Chengdu is a city full of energy. Subsequently, many world top 500 enterprises such as Motorola,
Siemens, Intel, and Microsoft take root here, establishing their factories and research bases.Chengdu
is also a city of harmony and tolerance.Walking along the street in Chengdu, you can feel the
intoxicating sense of time. It is an ancient city, with a long history dating as early as 4500 BC, when
the ancient Shupeople(古蜀人) settled and built up villages. Therefore it became the social and
cultural exchange center of the ancient Shu kingdom at that time.
As a city famous for history and culture, Chengdu has given birth to many writers and scholars. A
great number of famous people gathered here such as SimaXiangru(司马相如), the poet of west Han
dynasty， Li Bai (李白)and Du Fu （杜甫），poets of the Tang dynasty, Shu Shi （苏轼），the
great poet in Song dynasty, Zhang Daqian（张大千），the master painter , Ba Jin （巴金），the
famous writer, who led their own school here. ZhugeLiang(诸葛亮), the prime minister in Shu
kingdom， empress Wu Zetian（武则天） in Zhou dynasty (she lived in the Tang dynasty and
changed the state name into “Zhou” ).
Chengdu, home of the giant panda.....
Among more than 200 countries and regions in the whole world, pandas can be found only in
some remote mountains and thickly forested district of Sichuan, Shanxi, Gansu provinces in China
now. The present total amount of pandas in the whole world is only more than 1000, because of the
bad influence by ecological environment, there is constant reduction of numbers and it belongs to the
endangered animals.
From more than two million years to one million years ago, the panda was widespread in the
southern part of our country, making up most of the animal groups of pandas - -Stegodon. Today a lot
of species of such animal groups have already become extinct, but the panda survives. Therefore the
panda is also known as a “living fossil”.
Chengdu Climate....
Chengdu belongs to the moist monsoon climate area of the subtropical zone. The climate is warm,
with plentiful rainfall and a clear distinction between the four seasons. The hottest month appears is in
July- August with a monthly averaged temperature of 25.0~ 30 degrees; the coldest month is in
January with averaged temperature of 5.6 degrees.
Because of the large altitude difference between the east part and west part of Chengdu, the heat
falls sharply with rapid increasing altitude, which leads to the coexistence of two climate patterns of
the warm east and the cool west. In the western mountain region, from the top of the mountain to the
foot, the temperature at the same time can be different by several degrees, showing many kinds of
climate types. It is this kind of climatic conditions that people can view splendid sceneries of different
climatic zones in many sightseeing spots with very low traveling costs.
The Food Cultures of Chengdu
Chengdu’s food cultures are very famous in China, and also in the world. There goes a statement
that “All good foods are found in Chengdu”. The Sichuan dishes, hot pot and boiled hot kebabs and
lengdanbei are very popular in Chengdu; they, together with the various snacks that are just as
famous, constitute the unique food cultures of Chengdu. Sichuan cuisine is one of the 4 famous local
cuisines; the other 3 being Guangdong cuisine, Shandong cuisine, and Jiangshu cuisine.
“Shandong dishes are noble, Jiangshu dishes are refined, Guangdong dishes are extravagant, and
Sichuan dishes are popular”; this is said of the characters of the major dishes, which is generally
recognized in the catering industry.
Chengdu is also the birthplace of tea culture...
When you come to Chengdu, you must have a rest in one of the teahouses, because it is the place
that manifests the leisure lifestyle of Chengdu residents. The Chinese have a well established habit of
tea drinking. The number of teahouses in Chengdu is the greatest in China; and most are the open air
type for general civilians to rest and chat away. The natives of Chengdu always head toward the
boisterous teahouses before daybreak, and are only awakened when they arrive there. Once they have
a sip of fragrant hot tea, they will feel clear-minded and refreshed.
Although there are luxury teahouses, those simple and traditional teahouses for civilians are the
most characteristic ones. They are dispersed in the breezing riversides or elegant parks, together with
the nature scenery create a unique cityscape. The teahouses in Chengdu treat people of all classes the
same; anyone who feels somehow sluggish or relaxed is welcomed. No matter scholars, artists, the
poor and/or underclass, they can always enjoy themselves without any worries.
Mahjong And Sichuan Cards Game....
Another indispensable element in Chengdu’s tea culture is mahjong. A great number of teahouses
in Chengdu help create a unique cityscape full of Mahjong playing.
Chengdu is not the place of origin of Mahjong, but Chengdu is leading the trend in the country.
The people of Chengdu who have indulged in Mahjong for years, it does not seem peculiar; but it
appears so extraordinary to one who is from another place.
The teahouses are a special attribute in Chengdu. It is just a normal thing to chat away whilst
drinking tea. Playing Mahjong in addition to chatting with friends can spice up your life. A wise man
from Chengdu made an interesting statement. He thinks mahjong is the most decent game in all sorts
of entertainments and sports activities. The reason is simple: all the other games aim to defeat the
counterpart; whilst mahjong is unlike these games; every side only works out their own mahjong and
they stay harmonious with others, which is in line with contemporary trend.
Much earlier than the introduction of mahjong into Sichuan, Sichuan cards game had been
common in Sichuan teahouses. This game is very popular in southwest China and especially, in
Sichuan. The history of Sichuan cards game dated back much earlier than the inception of poker. It
was said Zhuge Liang, the prime Minister of three Kingdom, was the one who invented this game
more than 2000 years ago. Sichuan cards game is prevailing in places where Sichuan people reside
and indeed is ‘Sichuan Poker’.
And this is only the smallest fraction of what is here in Chengdu to learn and
discover...