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Chengdu Overview
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- Updated:
- Nov 11, 2009;
- by:
- China Highlights;
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Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan Province and home to the giant pandas. The city was depicted in a poem as "Chengdu’s landscape, as if endowed by the Ninth Heaven, played a part in the creations of many a master artist." Southeast of the Sichuan basin, Chengdu enjoys temperate climate and plentiful harvests. The city occupies an area of 12,389 square kilometers. There are over 3 million inhabitants in the city proper, and over 10 million in greater Chengdu.
Chengdu has a history of more than 2,000 years. In contrast to other Chinese urban centers, and despite raging redevelopment, Chengdu has managed to preserve its old world charm. Chengdu was already the political, economic, and cultural center of western Sichuan by 400 B.C. During the Five Dynasties Period (907-960), Meng Chang, a ruler of later Shu, had numerous hibiscus trees planted on the city wall, so the city eventually became known as the City of Hibiscus.
Chengdu, also known as Brocade City, has been a famous cultural centre with age-old colorful traditions of both religious and civil significance. With the arrival of spring, peach blossoms abound on the plains and rapeseed flowers tinge the landscape golden. Wafting cooking smoke curls up from the farm huts amidst bamboo groves. The annual lantern festival, flower show, the opening of the sluices at Dujiangyan, the dragon boat races at Xinjing, and the folk-lore sing song contests at Wang-cong Memorial Temple are charming and captivating scenes. The old street scenes at Huanglongxi Township, the gorgeous mansions of the Liu family at Dayi County and a number of picturesque civilian villages are well preserved for future generations to appreciate.
The College for Buddhist nuns in China is located in Tiexiangsi. Colorful sculptures and wall paintings from the Ming Dynasty are preserved in Guanyin Temple in Xinjing. Zhaojue Temple, Wenshu Monastery, Baoguang Temple and Daci Temple in the city are known as "the four famous Buddhist monasteries in western Sichuan". Hemingshan at Diyi County is the sacred seat of origin for Taoism, and Qingyang Palace is a well-preserved memorial temple for Laotzu, the founder and master of the Taoist faith.
Chengdu is the regional home of the famous Sichuan opera. This operatic style is known for its sense of humor and unique skills of "changing one's countenance (face-changing)". Being relatively flat, Chengdu can easily be explored on foot or by bicycle. Colorful old streets, lined by scores of small restaurants and walkways, remain crowded until late with traders, buyers, and people out for a stroll.
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