Chengdu Travel Guide

 

Chengdu has a long history. As early of 2,500 years ago, the Shu Kingdom in the Spring and Autumn period (770-476 BC) made Chengdu its capital. (the excavations of both Shaxingdui and Jinsha Ruins prove that rulers of the ancient Shu Kingdom established its political and cultural centre in Chengdu more than 3,000 years ago) Since then, Chengdu has been the capital of six kingdoms and has been the political, economic and cultural centre in Sichuan Province.

In 256 BC, Sichuan Governor Li Bing built Dujiangyan Irrigation Project. Thanks to the project, the Chengdu Plain bid farewell to droughts and floods and became one of China's most fertile agricultural bases. It has been known as the "land of abundance" for more than 2 millenniums now because of its rich supply of farm produce.

The city is located in 30.05 to 31.26 degrees latitude north and 102.54 to 104.53 degrees longitude east. It is typical of a sub-tropical humid monsoon climate. The annual average temperature in Chengdu is 15.5t3 and the average precipitation is 997 millimetres. Its terrain slopes from northwest to southeast. Plains, hills and mountains account for 40.30 and 30 per cent of the total area respectively. Its average elevation is 500 metres. The highest point is 5,364 metres and the lowest being 387 metres. More than 40 rivers including the Minjiang River and the Tuojiang River run across the city with a water volume of 26.4 billion cubic metres.

Chengdu was one of the first 24 famous historical and cultural cities of China in 1982. The city has 11 districts, 5 county-level cities and 4 counties in its jurisdiction, encompassing 14,605 square kilometres with a population of 16.33 million. The eastern part of the city is the industrial quarter, home to the city's major large enterprises. The southern part is the research and education quarter, home to key higher education institutes, scientific research institutions and the Chengdu High-tech Development Zone. The western part is the trading and entertainment quarter, the northern part is the processing quarter, and the downtown area is the centre of politics, culture and finance.

Chengdu has developed industries and is an important industrial base in Southwest China. Its major industries include electronics, machinery, foods, metallurgy, chemicals, textiles and construction. The city is also Southwest China's powerhouse in terms of high-tech industries such as electronic information, biological pharmaceuticals, new materials, integration of photo-mechanic-electronic technologies, and environmental protection technologies.

Shu (Sichuan) embroidery together with Xiang (Hunan) embroidery, Yue (Guangdong) embroidery and Su (Suzhou) embroidery U f& are reputed as the four most famous embroideries in China.

Shuangliu International Airport in Chengdu is one of the six biggest airports in China and a transport hub in the country's western areas. The city is one of the seven largest telecommunications switching centres in China.

During the past few decades, the city has formed a transportation network consisting of good roads, railways and airplanes. The Chengdu-Kunming, Baoji-Chengdu, Chengdu-Chongqing and Chengdu-Daxian railways converge in the city. The completion of the Nanning-Kunming Railway has made Chengdu accessible to the seaports in South China.

There are 22 colleges and universities, and more than 540,000 technicians available in the city.

Information technologies, engineering, medicine and food have become pillar industries in Chengdu.

Chengdu is also a famous tourist city. It has two State-level, seven provincial and two city-level scenic spots, three State-level and two provincial-level forest parks, one state-level and two provincial-level natural reserves.