Chengdu

Chengdu 成都
Sub-provincial city
成都市
The city skyline, October 2011 The city skyline, October 2011
Nickname:  蓉城 (The Hibiscus City)
Location of Chengdu City jurisdiction in Sichuan province and the PRC
Country	People's Republic of China
Province	Sichuan
Established	311 BC
City seat	Qingyang District
Divisions  - County-level	9 districts, 4 county-level cities, 6 counties
Government
• Type	Sub-provincial city
• CPC Party Chief	Huang Xinchu (黄新初)
• Mayor	Ge Honglin (葛红林)
Area
• Sub-provincial city	12,132 km2 (4,684 sq mi)
• Urban	2,129 km2 (822 sq mi)
• Metro	1,617 km2 (624 sq mi)
Elevation	500 m (1,600 ft)
Highest elevation	5,364 m (17,598 ft)
Lowest elevation	378 m (1,240 ft)
Population  (2010)
• Sub-provincial city	14,047,625
• Density	1,200/km2 (3,000/sq mi)
• Urban	7,677,100
• Urban density	3,600/km2 (9,300/sq mi)
• Metro	6,730,749
• Metro density	4,200/km2 (11,000/sq mi)
• Major Nationalities	Han
Time zone	UTC+8 (China Standard)
Postal code	610000-611944
Area code	28
GDP (nominal) Total (2010)	¥ 555.13 billion (US$82.119 billion)
GDP (nominal) Per Capita (2010)	¥ 43,417 (US$6,442)
License Plate Prefix	川A 川O (Government)
Website	http://www.chengdu.gov.cn

Chengdu
Chinese	成都
Hanyu Pinyin	Chéngdū
Cen2du1 ([tsʰən˨˩tu˥])
Literal meaning	Become Capital
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Chéngdū Wade–Giles Ch'eng-tu other Mandarin Sichuanese Pinyin Cen2du1 ([tsʰən˨˩tu˥]) Wu Romanization zen平tu平 Yue: Cantonese Jyutping sing4dou1 Southern Min Hokkien POJ Sêng-to

Chengdu (Chinese: 成都; Sichuanese: Cen²du¹; pinyin: Chéngdū), formerly transliterated Chengtu, is the capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China. It holds sub-provincial administrative status. The urban area houses 14,047,625 inhabitants: 7,123,697 within the municipality's nine districts and 6,730,749 in the surrounding region.

Chengdu is one of the most important economic, transportation, and communication centers in Western China. According to the 2007 Public Appraisal for Best Chinese Cities for Investment, Chengdu was chosen as one of the top ten cities to invest in out of a total of 280 urban centers in China. It was recently named China's 4th-most livable city by China Daily.

The fertile Chengdu Plain, on which Chengdu is located, is also known as the "Country of Heaven" (天府之国, Tiānfǔzhiguó), a phrase also often translated as "The Land of Abundance". The discovery of the Jinsha site suggests the area of Chengdu had become the center of the bronze age Sanxingdui culture around the time of the establishment of the state of Shu, prior to its annexation by Qin in 316 BC.

Chengdu was recently named as one of the 13 emerging megacities or megalopolises in China in a July 2012 report by the Economist Intelligence Unit; Supersized cities: China’s 13 megalopolises. The report pinpoints and highlights the demographic and income trends that are shaping these cities' development.

Nicknames

Chengdu is the original city name which dates back to its founding over 2000 years ago. However, its following nicknames are well known in China.

• The City of Hibiscus: Róngchéng, 蓉城. In the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period (907-960), Mengchang, the king of the Later Shu Kingdom, ordered the planting of hibiscus on the fortress wall surrounding the city. After this, Chengdu started being called the City of Hibiscus. Nowadays, the hibiscus is still the city flower of Chengdu, but the last city wall was torn down in the 1960s, along with the Royal Palace situated in the middle of the city, where the statue of Mao Zedong now stands.

• The Brocade City: Jinchéng, 锦城. In the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 23), brocade produced in Chengdu enjoyed great popularity among the royal and elite class in China. An emperor created the office of Jin Guan (锦官) to oversee brocade production in Chengdu. Since then, Chengdu has been called "Jin Guan Cheng" (锦官城) meaning "Brocade Official's City", or in its short form, "Jin Cheng" (锦城) meaning "Brocade City."

• The Turtle City: Guichéng, 龟城. According to the ancient legend, when Chengdu was built in AD 310, the chief architect Zhang Yi followed the routes of a turtle to decide the city's borders. It coincides with the fact that the city does resemble the shape of a turtle on a map.

Logo

Chengdu unveiled its city logo in 2011. The design was inspired by the Golden Sun Bird artifact excavated from Jinsha Ruins.

History

The archaeological excavations in Sanxingdui-Jinsha Ruins demonstrate Chengdu's importance as a gathering place for ancient peoples for at least four thousand years. More than three thousand years ago, during the period of Shang and Zhou dynasties, it became the center of Shu culture. Two thousand and three hundred years ago, Kaiming IX, the king of ancient Shu, established the location as a capital city called Chengdu (literally means 'becoming capital') after the Chinese saying "It takes one year to form a community, two years to form a town, and three years to form a capital". Over time, Chengdu became the capital of six separatist feudal reigns. Chengdu is the only major city in China that has never changed its location or name for more than 2000 years.

The archaeological site of Jinsha proved that Chengdu, as the capital of Shu, was established around 1200 BCE

As a central city for at least 2000 years, Chengdu’s influence has gradually expanded from the Sichuan basin to Western China. At its height, Chengdu was once named "One of the Five Metropolis" in China and was equally famous with Yangzhou in history. During the Three-Kingdom period, Zhuge Liang, the prime minister of Shu kingdom, called Chengdu "the land of abundance". Li Bai, the famous poet during the Tang Dynasty, eulogized the city as "Chengdu lies above empyrean". Su Shi, the eminent writer during the Song Dynasty, hailed Chengdu as "the southwestern metropolis". In the Eastern Han Dynasty, brocade production was advanced here, giving Chengdu the name "the brocade city". During the Latter Shu Kingdom, it got the name "the hibiscus city" since hibiscus trees were planted throughout the city walls, quite a site during their yearly blossom.

In the early 4th century BC, the 9th king of the state of Shu moved his capital to the city's current location from today's nearby Pixian. The Song Dynasty geographical work Tai Ping Huan Yu Ji states that the king was inspired by King Tai of Zhou's statement that a settlement needed "one year to become a town; two years to become a capital." Following this, the king named the new city Cheng Du: literally, "become the capital". There are, however, several versions of why the capital was moved to Chengdu, and more recent theories of the name's origin point to it as stemming from, or referring to, earlier non-Han inhabitants and/or their languages.

Dujiangyan Irrigation System built in 256 BC still functions today

After the conquest of Shu by the State of Qin in 316 BC, a new city was founded by the Qin general Zhang Yi (who as a matter of fact had argued against the invasion). This can be seen as the beginning of the Chinese Chengdu.

During the partition following the fall of the Eastern Han Dynasty, i.e. the era of the Three Kingdoms, Liu Bei founded the southwest kingdom of Shu-Han (蜀汉; 221-263) with Chengdu as its capital.

During the Tang Dynasty, both the "Poet God" Li Bаí (李白) and the "Poet Sage" Dù Fǔ (杜甫) spent some part of their lives in Chengdu. Du Fu constructed the celebrated "Caotáng" (thatched cottage or grass-hut) in the second year of his four-years stay (759-762). But today's Caotang, a rather sumptuous house in the traditional style, was only constructed in 1078 in memory of Du Fu. As early as the Tang dynasty more than 1,200 years ago, Chengdu became one of the foremost commercial cities in China, second only to Yangzhou.

The tomb of Wang Jian, founder of Former Shu Kingdom based in Sichuan

Chengdu was also the birthplace of the first widely used paper money in the world (Northern Song Dynasty, around A.D. 960). The Qingyang Gong Taoist temple was built in Chengdu in the ninth century, meaning "Green Goat".

Two rebel leaders, one around the end of the Song Dynasty, the other near the end of the Ming Dynasty, set up the capitals of their short-lived kingdoms here, called Dàshu (大蜀) and Dàxi (大西), respectively. In the 13th century, Marco Polo wrote about several bridges in China and the Anshun Bridge (or an earlier version of it) in Chengdu was one of them. He referred to Chengdu as "Sindafu" ("Cheng-Tu_Fu") as the capital of the province of the same name.

In 1279 the Mongols sacked Chengdu, killing 1.4 million inhabitants in the process.

During the Second World War the Kuomintang (KMT, Chinese Nationalist Party) government under Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek fled to Sichuan province to escape the invading Japanese forces. They brought with them businesspeople, workers and academics, who founded many of the industries and cultural institutions which continue to make Chengdu an important center.

Huangchengba in 1911

In 1944 the American XX Bomber Command launched Operation Matterhorn, an ambitious plan to base B-29 Superfortresses in Chengdu and strategically bomb the Japanese Home Islands. Because the operation required a massive airlift of fuel and supplies over the Himalayas, it was not a significant military success, but it did earn Chengdu the distinction of launching the first serious retaliation against the Japanese homeland.

During the Chinese Civil War, Chengdu was the last city on the Chinese mainland to be held by the Kuomintang-controlled government. R.O.C. President Chiang Kai-shek and his son Chiang Ching-kuo directed the defence of the city from Chengdu Central Military Academy until 1949, when the city fell into Communist hands. The People's Liberation Army took the city on December 10 and the remnants of the Nationalist Chinese government fled to Taiwan.

The industrial base is very broad, including light and heavy manufacturing, aluminum smelting and chemicals. The textile industry remains important, with cotton and wool milling added to the traditional manufacturing of silk brocade and satin.

Chengdu is the headquarters of the Chengdu Military Region.

On May 12, 2008, a magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck causing damage to the area, killing about 80,000 people and injuring 26,413 as of May 12, 2008. 4,021 of the casualties and most of the property damage were from Dujiangyan and Pengzhou, two cities within the administration of Chengdu, the sub-provincial city. Chengdu did not suffer any discernible damage. The reason why many people died in the surrounding areas had to do with poor construction. Though only 75 kilometers (47 mi) from the epicenter, Chengdu itself was built to earthquake specification, and most buildings there remained intact.

Demography

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1953	857,000	—
1964	1,583,000	+84.7%
1970	6,922,918	+337.3%
1975	7,819,732	+13.0%
1980	8,225,399	+5.2%
1985	8,626,770	+4.9%
1990	9,195,004	+6.6%
1995	9,715,977	+5.7%
2000	10,392,531	+7.0%
2005	10,820,285	+4.1%
2010	14,047,625	+29.8%
Population size may be affected by changes on administrative divisions.

The municipality is home for 14,047,625 inhabitants at the 2010 census whom 7,123,697 in the city considerered as urban. The built up area is home to 6,730,749 million inhabitants and emcompasses 7 out of 9 urban districts (all but Longquanyi District and Qingbaijiang District still separated of core built up area + Pi county being urbanized quickly)

Cityscape

The basic layout of Chengdu dates back to the Qing Dynasty. Most rivers, bridges, streets and alleys were well preserved until 1949 when the new construction started.

The ancient fortress wall

The ancient fortress wall of Chengdu, 10 meters high and 11 km long, was built during the Qing Dynasty. Surrounding the city, the wall's bottom measures 10 meters wide while the top measures 6 meters wide, almost equivalent to the width of a street. 8,122 crenels, four octagons and four turrets were built on the wall.

Four gates were constructed on all sides of the wall, with hibiscus trees planted outside. Thus, the city acquired its nickname 'The city of hisbicus.'Locals were only allowed to climb the wall during the Spring festival when it was believed to help drive away illness and bad luck for the coming year.

The fortress wall was torn down after Mao Zedong's only visit to Chengdu in 1958. After touring the city, he suggested the wall be dismantled because of its 'ugliness and inconvenience to traffic'. The wall was demolished afterward and now only remains as scattered ruins across the city.

The most complete remaining piece of the ancient fortress wall is a hundred-meter section south of Wu Ding Qiao and northwest of Bei Jiao Chang.

City in a city

Shaocheng (Small City), also known as Manchu City, was built within the fortress wall. It was a "city in a city" established by the imperial court of the Qing Dynasty for Manchu soldiers and their families in 1718. People's Park, once known as Shaocheng Park, was used as a military warehouse for Qing soldiers.

The Shaocheng wall was demolished in 1911 after the Xinhai Revolution, which ended thousands of years of Chinese feudalism.

Today, only a few remnants of the original city can be found in Kuanxiangzi and Zhaixiangzi alleys.

Geography

File:Chengdu Plain.jpg

Chengdu Plain in Spring

The vast plain on which Chengdu is located has an elevation ranging from 450 meters to 720 meters.

Northwest Chengdu is bordered by the high and steep Longmen Mountain and in the west by the Qionglai mountainous areas, the elevation of which exceeds 3,000 meters and includes Miao Jiling (5,364 m.) and Xiling Snow Mountain (5,164 m.). The western mountainous area is also home to a large primitive forest with abundant biological resources and a Giant Panda habitat.East of Chengdu stands the low Longquan Mountain and the west bordering area of the hilly land of middle reaches of Minjiang River, an area noted by several converging rivers.Since ancient times, Chengdu has been known as "the Abundant Land" owing to its fertile soil, favorable climate, and novel Dujiangyan Irrigation System.

File:Chaoyang Lake.jpg

Chaoyang Lake in Chengdu's suburb

Chengdu is located at the western edge of the Sichuan Basin and sits on the Chengdu Plain; the dominating terrain is plains. The prefecture ranges in latitude from 30° 05' to 31° 26' N, while its longitude ranges from 102° 54' to 104° 53' E, stretching for 192 kilometres (119 mi) from east to west and 166 kilometres (103 mi) south to north, administering 12,390 square kilometres (4,780 sq mi) of land. Neighbouring prefectures are Deyang (NE), Ziyang (SE), Meishan (S), Ya'an (SW), and the Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture (N). The urban area, with an elevation of 500 metres (1,600 ft), features a few rivers, three of them being the Jin, Fu (府河), and Sha Rivers. Outside of the immediate urban area, the topography becomes more complex: to the east lies the Longquan Range (龙泉山脉) and the Penzhong Hills (盆中丘陵); to the west lie the Qionglai Mountains, which rise to 5,364 metres (17,598 ft) in Dayi County. The lowest point in Chengdu Prefecture, at 378 metres (1,240 ft), lies in the southeast in Jintang County.

Climate

Chengdu
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     7.9     9 3     12     11 5     20     16 8     44     22 13     79     26 17     107     28 21     225     30 22     201     30 22     119     25 19     35     21 15     16     16 10     5.2     11 5 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     0.3     49 37     0.5     52 40     0.8     61 47     1.7     71 55     3.1     79 63     4.2     82 69     8.8     85 72     7.9     85 71     4.7     77 65     1.4     69 58     0.6     60 49     0.2     51 40 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches

Chengdu has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa) and is largely mild and humid. It has four distinct seasons, blessed with abundant rainfall, and relieved from both sweltering summers and freezing winters. Its favorable climate contributes to the development of agriculture and animal husbandry, making Chengdu a comfortable place for sustained human habitat.

The Qinling to the far north help shield the city from cold Siberian winds in the winter; because of this, the short winter is milder than in the Lower Yangtze. January averages 5.6 °C (42.1 °F), and snow is rare but there are a few periods of frost each winter. The summer is hot and humid, but not to the extent of the "Three Furnaces" (三大火炉) cities of Chongqing, Wuhan, and Nanjing, all which lie in the Yangtze basin. July and August average around 25 °C (77 °F), with afternoon highs sometimes reaching 33 °C (91 °F); sustained heat in the likes of some cities in Southeastern China is rare. Rainfall is common year-round but is the greatest in July and August, with very little of it in the cooler months. Chengdu also has one of the lowest sunshine totals in China (less sunshine annually than London), and most days are cloudy and overcast even if without rain. This is especially so in the winter months, when it is typically interminably grey and dreary, compounding the poor air quality. Spring (March–April) tends to be sunnier and warmer than autumn (October–November). Extremes have ranged from −5.9 °C (21 °F) to 40.0 °C (104.0 °F).

Climate data for 成都 (1971–2000)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	9.3 (48.7)	11.2 (52.2)	15.9 (60.6)	21.7 (71.1)	26.0 (78.8)	28.0 (82.4)	29.5 (85.1)	29.7 (85.5)	25.2 (77.4)	20.6 (69.1)	15.8 (60.4)	10.7 (51.3)	20.3 (68.5)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	2.8 (37.0)	4.7 (40.5)	8.2 (46.8)	12.9 (55.2)	17.2 (63.0)	20.5 (68.9)	22.0 (71.6)	21.7 (71.1)	18.6 (65.5)	14.6 (58.3)	9.5 (49.1)	4.5 (40.1)	13.1 (55.6)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	7.9 (0.31)	12.1 (0.48)	20.0 (0.79)	44.2 (1.74)	78.5 (3.09)	106.8 (4.20)	224.5 (8.84)	201.1 (7.92)	118.8 (4.68)	35.2 (1.39)	15.9 (0.63)	5.2 (0.20)	870.2 (34.27)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm)	7.0	8.5	10.9	13.0	14.7	15.2	17.6	15.8	15.6	13.1	7.7	5.2	144.3
Average relative humidity (%)	83	81	79	78	76	81	86	85	85	85	83	84	82
Mean monthly sunshine hours	53.3	51.4	83.1	113.9	121.7	117.2	131.9	155.0	77.6	59.4	57.2	51.6	1,073.3
Source: China Meteorological Administration

Administrative Divisions

Chengdu is a sub-provincial city. It has direct jurisdiction over 9 districts (区 qu), 4 county-level cities (市 shi) and 6 counties (县xian) :

Map	#	Name	Hanzi	Hanyu Pinyin	Population (2010)	Area (km²)	Density (/km²)
	City Core
	1	Qingyang District	青羊区	Qīngyáng Qū	828,140	66	12,548
	2	Jinjiang District	锦江区	Jǐnjiāng Qū	690,422	61	11,318
	3	Jinniu District	金牛区	Jīnniú Qū	1,200,776	108	11,118
	4	Wuhou District	武侯区	Wǔhóu Qū	1,083,806	77	14,075
	5	Chenghua District	成华区	Chénghuá Qū	938,785	109	8,613
	Suburban districts within city limit
	6	Longquanyi District	龙泉驿区	Lóngquányì Qū	767,203	558	1,375
	7	Qingbaijiang District	青白江区	Qīngbáijiāng Qū	381,792	392	974
	8	Xindu District	新都区	Xīndū Qū	775,703	481	1,613
	9	Wenjiang District	温江区	Wēnjiāng Qū	457,070	277	1,650
	Satellite cities
	10	Dujiangyan	都江堰市	Dūjiāngyàn Shì	657,996	1,208	545
	11	Pengzhou	彭州市	Péngzhōu Shì	762,887	1,420	537
	12	Qionglai	邛崃市	Qiónglái Shì	612,753	1,384	443
	13	Chongzhou	崇州市	Chóngzhōu Shì	661,120	1,090	607
	Rural
	14	Jintang County	金堂县	Jīntáng Xiàn	717,225	1,156	620
	15	Shuangliu County	双流县	Shuāngliú Xiàn	1,158,516	1,067	1,086
	16	Pi County	郫县	Pí Xiàn	756,047	438	1,726
	17	Dayi County	大邑县	Dàyì Xiàn	502,198	1,327	378
	18	Pujiang County	蒲江县	Pújiāng Xiàn	239,562	583	411
	19	Xinjin County	新津县	Xīnjīn Xiàn	302,199	330	916

Culture

See also: Sichuan cuisine

Jinli historical district of Chengdu

Cultural heritage

Some of China's most important literature comes from Chengdu. Chengdu has been home to literary giants, such as Sima Xiangru and Yang Xiong, two masters of Hanfu, a mixture of descriptive prose and verse during the Han Dynasty; Li Bai and Su Shi, the most eminent poets of the Tang and Song Dynasties respectively; Yang Shen’an, a famous scholar of the Ming Dynasty; and Guo Moruo and Ba Jin, two well-known modern writers. Chang Qu, a historian of Chengdu during the Jin Dynasty, compiled the earliest local historical records, the Record of Hua Yang State. Zhao Chongzuo, a poet in Chengdu during the Latter Shu Kingdom, edited Among the Flowers, the first anthology of Ci in China’s history. Meng Chang, the king of Latter Shu Kingdom, wrote the first couplet for Chinese Spring Festival, which says, “A harvest year accepts celebrations, good festivals foreshadow long springs.” During the period of the Five Dynasties, Huang Quan, a painter in Chengdu, initiated the Fine-Brush Flower-and-Bird Painting school with other painters. At that time, “Hanlin Painting Academy” was the earliest royal academy in China. Wen Weng, administer of Chengdu during the Western Han Dynasty, established the first local public school named Shishi (literally a stone house), in the world. The school site has not changed for more than 2,000 years, which remains the site of today’s Shishi High School.

The saying "Shu opera towers above all other performances in the world" reflects the achievement of Sichuan Opera and Zaju (an ancient form of comedic drama involving dancing, singing, poetry, and miming). In the city, the first named opera “Bullfighting” was written in the Warring States Period. The first detailed recorded opera was staged in the royal court of Shu Kingdom during the Three Kingdom Period. China’s first clearly recorded Zaju was also performed in Chengdu. Tombs of witty Han Dynasty poets were excavated in Chengdu. And face-changing masks and fire breathing remain hallmarks of the Sichuan Opera.

Language

The native language in Chengdu is Sichuanese (四川话), otherwise referred as Sichuan dialect. More precisely, "Chengdu Dialect" (成都话/成都方言) is widely used in lieu of "Sichuanese" due to the largely different accents of Sichuanese speakers residing elsewhere.

Culinary art and tea culture

Teahouse in Chengdu.

People from Chengdu (or Sichuan/Chongqing, in general) tend to eat spicy food. Local specialties include Grandma Chen's Tofu (Mapo doufu), Chengdu Hot pot, and Dan Dan Mien (literally meaning, "Noodles carried on a pole" (Dan Dan Noodles). All three dishes are spicy. Mapo Doufu and Dan Dan Mien contain Sichuan peppers (huājiāo; 花椒; literally "flower pepper") to give them additional flavor. An article by the Los Angeles Times (2006) called Chengdu "China's party city" for its carefree lifestyle. Chengdu outnumbers Shanghai in the number of tea houses and bars despite having less than half the population. The inhabitants have a reputation in China for having a laid-back attitude and for knowing how to enjoy life.

Sichuanese cuisine features careful pairings of boldness and subtlety in dishes, snacks, banquets, and hotpot. A characteristic adage goes: 'one dish, one style; one hundred dishes, one hundred flavors; flexible use of hot chilis and delicate flavors.' Of thousands of dishes, every one has a story behind it.

The local snacks in Chengdu are known for creative ingredients, skilled preparation, wide variety, and cheap prices. Tastes range from sweet and spicy to sour and hot in a range of cooking techniques including frying, stewing, baking, steaming and boiling. Some of the more common snacks found across town include noodles, wontons, dumplings, pastries, tangyuan (sweet rice balls), drinks, salads, and soups.

With over a thousand years of history, Chinese tea culture is perhaps best exemplified by the bamboo chairs and wooden tables found in the hundreds of tea houses throughout Chengdu, with jasmine tea being served as the local staple. As early as the Western Han period, both tea trade and tea culture were very prosperous in Sichuan with Chengdu as the starting point of the Southern Silk Road.

Chengdu is an officially recognised UNESCO City of Gastronomy.

Home of the Giant Pandas

Pandas, in Chengdu

As China’s National Treasure, the giant panda is one of the rarest animals in the world. The total number is estimated to be 1,500, including those living in the wild, 80% of which are in Sichuan Province.

A breeding center for giant pandas was founded in the north suburbs of Chengdu. It is the only one of its kind in the world that's located in a metropolitan area. In order to better protect wild giant pandas, Chengdu has established nature reserves in Dujiangyan City, Chongzhou City, and Dayi County. Sichuan Wolong Giant Panda Nature Reserve, the biggest of its kind in the world, is only 130 kilometers outside Chengdu.

The western world came to know giant pandas only after a French missionary named David first discovered this species in Sichuan in 1869. Now, the somewhat clumsy giant panda is a symbol representing the World Wildlife Fund. They are also a messenger of friendly communication between Chengdu and international cities. Currently, giant pandas are also reared in U.S.A, Germany, Austria, Japan, Thailand as well as Mexico.

Chengdu has established the world renowned breeding and research base for giant pandas, which attracts almost 100,000 visitors each year. Covering tens of hectares with bamboo groves and a native-like habitat, the base is the only one of its kind located in an urban area. A museum is open to the public throughout the year.

Kung Fu Panda 2

In 2008, after the release of the American animation movie Kung Fu Panda, DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg and other DreamWorks members visited the city of Chengdu. In addition to seeing live pandas, crew members learned about the local culture. Katzenberg has stated that Kung Fu Panda 2 incorporates many elements of Chengdu in the film. The film's landscape and architecture also found inspiration from those found at Mount Qingcheng, a renowned Taoist mountain. In an interview with Movieline, Berger stated that ‘we never really thought of this as a movie set in China for Americans; it's a movie set in an mythical, universalized China for everyone in the world'.

Effort to reintroduce pandas into the wild

On January 11, 2012 six captive-bred pandas were released to a "semi-wild" environment in Dujiangyan, Chengdu. Scientists believe that success in the reintroduction project would potentially help save the endangered giant panda. Retired NBA basketball star and animal activist Yao Ming attended the ceremony.

Main sights

World natural and cultural heritage sites

Mount Qingcheng

Mount Qingcheng is amongst the most important centres of Taoism (Daoism) in China. It is situated in the suburbs of Dujiangyan City and connected to downtown Chengdu 70 km away by the Cheng-Guan Expressway.

With its peak 1,600 meters above sea level, Mount Qingcheng enjoys a cool climate, but remains a lush green all year round and surrounded by hills and waterways. Mount Qingcheng's Fujian Temple, Tianshi Cave, and Shizu Hall are some of the existing more well-known Taoist holy sites. Shangqing Temple is noted for an evening phosphorescent glow locally referred to as "holy lights".

Dujiangyan Irrigation System

The Dujiangyan Irrigation System (58 km away from Chengdu proper) is the oldest existing irrigation project in the world with a history of over 2000 years diverting water without a dam to distribute water and filter sand with an inflow-quantity control. The irrigation system contains floods and droughts throughout the Plain of Chengdu.

Sichuan Giant Panda sanctuaries

Sichuan Giant Panda sanctuaries

Covering a total of 9,245 km² over 12 distinct counties and 4 cities, Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries, lie on the transitional alp-canyon belt between the Sichuan Basin and the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. It is the largest remaining continuous habitat for giant pandas and home to more than 80% of the world’s wild giant pandas. Globally speaking, it is also the most abundant temperate zone of greenery. The reserves of the habitat are 100–200 km away from Chengdu.

The Sichuan Giant Panda sanctuaries are the most well-known of their kind in the world, with Wolong Nature Reserve, generally considered as the "homeland of pandas". It is a core habitat with unique natural conditions, complicated landforms, and a temperate climate with diverse wildlife. Siguniang Mountain, sometimes called the "Oriental Alpine" is approximately 230 kilometers away from Chengdu, and is composed of four adjacent peaks of the Traversal Mountain Range. Among the four peaks, the fourth and highest stands 6,250 meters above sea level, and is perpetually covered by snow.

Culture of poetry and the Three Kingdoms

Wuhou Shrine

Wuhou Shrine (Temple of Marquis Wu) is the most influential museum of Three-kingdom relics in China. It was built in the Western Jin period (265-316) in the honor of Zhuge Liang, the famous military and political strategist who was Prime Minister of the Shu Han State during the Three Kingdoms period (220-280). The Shrine highlights the Zhuge Liang Memorial Temple and the Hall of Liu Bei (founder of the Shu Han state), along with statues of other historical figures of Shu Han, as well as cultural relics like stone inscriptions and tablets. The Hui Mausoleum of Liu Bei represents a unique pattern of enshrining both the king and his subjects in the same temple, a rarity in China.

Du Fu thatched cottage

Du Fu was one of the most noted Tang Dynasty poets and is considered the "Sage of Chinese Poets". During the Lushan-Shi Siming Rebellion, he left Xi'an (then Chang'an) to take refuge in Chengdu. With the help from his friends, the thatched cottage was built along the Huanhua Stream in the west suburbs of Chengdu, where Du Fu spent four years of his life and produced more than 240 poems oft-quoted and widely loved. During the Song Dynasty, people started to construct gardens and halls on the site of his thatched cottage to honor his life and memory. Currently, a series of simple and solemn memorial buildings representing Du Fu's humble life stand on the river bank, along with a large collection of relics and various editions of his poems.

Ancient Shu civilization

Jinsha Ruins

The Jinsha Ruins are the first significant archeological discovery in China this millennium and were selected in 2006 as the key conservation unit of the nation. The Jinsha Relics Museum is located in the northwest of Chengdu, about 5 km from downtown. As a theme-park-style museum, it is for the protection, research, and display of Jinsha archaeological relics and findings. The museum covers 300,000 square meters, primarily housing the relics, exhibitions, and a conservation center.

Golden Sun Bird

The Golden Sun Bird

The Golden Sun Bird was excavated by archaeologists from Jinsha ruins on Feb. 25, 2001. In 2005, it was designated as the official logo of Chinese cultural heritage by the China National Relic Bureau.

The round, foil plaque dates back to the ancient Shu people and is 94.2% pure gold and extremely thin. It contains four birds around the perimeter, representing the four seasons and directions. The center cutout contains 12 beams of sunlight, representing the 12 months. The exquisite design is remarkable for a 3,000-year-old piece.

Sanxingdui Museum

Situated in the northeast of the state-protected Sanxingdui Site, Sanxingdui Museum is 40 kilometers north of Chengdu, covering a total area of 7,000 square meters.

The main collection highlights the Ancient City of Chengdu, Ancient Shu State and Ancient Shu Culture, while displaying thousands of valuable relics including earthenware, jade wares, bone objects, gold wares, and bronzes that have been unearthed from the No.1 and No.2 Shang-dynasty sacrificial sites.

Buddhist and Taoist cultures

Chengdu Daci Monastery

Known as the Nonpareil Monastery in China, the Daci Monastery in downtown Chengdu was first built during the Wei and Jin dynasties, with its cultural height duringthe Tang and Song dynasties. Xuan Zang, an eminent Tang dynasty monk, was initiated into monkhood and expounded Buddhism sutras for 4-5years in this temple. During this time, he gave frequent sermons in Daci Monastery.

Baoguang Monastery

Located in Xindu District, Baoguang (meaning divine light) Monastery enjoys a long history and a rich collection of relics. It is believed that it was constructed during the East Han period and has appeared in written records since the Tang Dynasty. It was destroyed during the Ming Dynasty in the early 16th century. In 1607, during the ninth-year reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, it was rebuilt.

Wenshu Monastery

Wenshu Monastery

Also named Xinxiang Monastery, Wenshu Monastery is the best preserved Buddhist temple in Chengdu. Initially built during Tang Dynasty, it has a history dates back 1,300 years. Parts of Xuan Zang’s skull bone are held in consecration here.

Qingyang Taoist Temple

Qingyang Taoist Temple

Located in the western part of Chengdu, Qingyang Temple (('Green Goat Temple'))is not only the largest and oldest Taoist temple in the city, but also the largest Taoist temple in Southeast China. The only existing copy of "Daozang Jiyao"" a collection of classic Taoist scriptures, is preserved in the temple.

According to history, Qingyang Temple was the place where Laozi preached his famous Dao De Jing to his disciple, Ying Xi.

Featured streets and historic towns

The Wide and Narrow Lanes

The Wide and Narrow Lanes (KuanXiangzi and ZhaiXiangzi) were first built during the Qing dynasty for Manchu soldiers. The lanes remained residential until 2003 when the local government turned the area into a mixed-use strip of restaurants, teahouses, bars, avant-garde galleries and residential houses.

Historic architecture has been wellpreserved in the Wide and Narrow lanes.

JinLi

The night of JinLi

Nearby Wuhou Shrine, JinLi is a popular commercial and dining area resembling the ancient-style architecture of West Sichuan . "Jinli" is the name of an old street in Chengdu dating from the Han Dynasty andmeans "making perfection more perfect".

The ancient Jinli Street was one of the oldest and the most commercialized streets in the history of the Shu and was well-known throughout the country during the Qin, Han and Three Kingdoms Periods.

Many aspects of the urban life of Chengdu are present in the current-day Jinli area: teahouses, restaurants, bars, theatrical stages, handicraft stores, local snack vendors and specialty shops.

Chunxi Road

Chunxi Road

Located in the center of downtown Chengdu, Chunxi Road is a trendy and bustling commercial strip with a long history. It was built in 1924 and was named from stories of Dao De Jing by Laozi.

Today, it is one of the most well-known and popular fashion and shopping center of Chengdu, lined with shopping malls, luxury brand stores, and boutique shops.

Huanglongxi Historic Town

Huanglongxi Historic Town

Facing the JinJiang River to the east and leaning against Muma Mountain to the north, the ancient town of Huanglongxi is approximately 40 kilometers southeast of Chengdu. It was a large military stronghold for the ancient Shu Kingdom.The majesty of the Shu Han State in Three Kingdom period was seated in Huanglongxi, and for some time, the general government offices for RenShou, PengShan, and HuaYang County were also located here.

The ancient town has preserved the Qing Dynasty architectural style, as seen in the design of its streets, shops, and buildings.

Anren Historic Town

Anren Historic Town is located 39 kilometers west of Chengdu. It was the hometown of Liu WenCai, a Qing Dynasty warlord, landowner and millionaire. His 27 historic mansions have been well preserved and turned into museums. Three old streets built during the Republic of China are still being used today by residents. Museums in AnRen have a rich collection of more of than 8 million pieces of relics and artifacts.A museum dedicated to the memorial of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake was built in 2010.

Luodai Historic Town

Luodai was built during the period of Three Kingdoms. According to legend, Emperor Liu Chan dropped his jade belt into a well when he passed through this small town. Thus, the town was named ‘lost belt’ (luodai in Pinyin and 落带in Chinese). It later evolved into its current name洛带with the same pronunciation, but a different character.）

Luodai Historic Town is one of the five major Hakka settlements in China. Three or four hundred years ago, a group of Hakka people moved to Luodai from coastal cities. It has since grown into the largest community for Hakka people.

Contemporary life

Teahouse

An old Chengdu saying goes, "Sunny days are rare, but teahouses are abundant". Teahouses have played diverse social roles in the history of Chengdu. Locals are passionate about going to tea houses, not only for tea, snacks, and entertainment, but also for social gatherings and business meetings. Tea houses have also served as unofficial courthouses where local people resolved conflicts under advisement of community leaders.

Traditional tea houses in Chengdu usually feature bamboo chairs and wooden tables and offer jasmine, long jing and biluochun tea.

Modern tea houses can be spotted on almost every city corner. The price for tea varies from 5 RMB to several hundred. Besides tea and snacks, almost all tea houses offer Majiang sets, tables, and sometimes separate majiang rooms. Most locals go to tea houses to play majiang with friends. Some luxury tea houses in Chengdu also offer live entertainment such as Sichuan opera shows.

Mahjong

Mahjong.

Mahjong has been an essential part of most local people's life. Almost every household in Chengdu has at least one set of mahjong. People play majiang at home or in tea houses. On sunny days, local people like to play mahjong on the sidewalks, especially in the area nearby the Fu Nan River. Most people play with money to make the game more exciting.

Mahjong is the most popular entertainment choice among locals for several reasons. Chengdu locals have simplified the rules and made it easier to play as compared to, Cantonese mahjong. A small amount of gambling is regarded as harmless entertainment. Friends and families chat over mahjong tables, making mahjong an important social vehicle. In fact, many business people negotiate deals while playing mahjong.

Rural Tourism: Nong Jia Le

Chengdu claims to have first practiced the modern business model of ‘Nong Jia Le’ (Happy Rural Homes). It refers to the practice of suburban and rural residents converting their houses into restaurants, hotels and entertainment spaces in order to attract city dwellers.

Nong Jia Le features different styles and price levels and have been thriving around Chengdu. They provide gateways for city dwellers to escape the city, offer delicious and affordable home-made dishes, and provide mahjong facilities.

Some of the most popular ones are located in Sansheng Village east of Chengdu, and Nongke Village in Pixian County, northwest of Chengdu.

Other leisure activities

The Chengdu lifestyle is known for being laid-back. Besides drinking tea and playing majiang, going to KTV, getting massages and playing poker are among the most popular leisure activities.

Aside from the more traditional ways of entertainment, movie theatres, computer game parlors, board game bars, and coffee houses catering to the younger generation are becoming more popular by the day.

Customs and festivals

The Grand Temple Fair

Chengdu’s annual Grand Temple Fair is held every year during the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) in Wuhou Shrine, Jinli, the Culture Park, and several other city parks. The 15-day-long festival showcases both traditional Sichuan folk art and modern fashions of the city. Food stalls on site offer over 100 varieties of freshly made local snacks.

The Lantern Festival

Chengdu’s annual Lantern Festival is held every year during the Spring Festival in Tazishan Park in the eastern part of Chengdu. Lanterns of different designs and themes are on display with traditional art performances including Sichuan opera, acrobatics shows, and local talkshows.

The Dujiangyan Water Releasing Festival

The Dujiangyan Water-Releasing Festival takes place on the 5th of April each year in Du Jiang Yan,58 km away from Chengdu . Residents dress up in ancient costumes and read elegies for Li Bing and his sons, in order to honor them for their contribution to the irrigation project they built over 2,000 years ago.

The Huanglongxi Fire Dragon Festival

Fire Dragon Festival of HuangLongXi is celebrated from the 2nd to the 15th day of the first lunar month of each new year.

The Festival originated from South Song Dynasty (1127-1279 A.D.). Celebrations include lighting paper dragons, a lion dance, floating lanterns on the water, and various street activities.

South China Snow and Ice Festival

The South China Snow and Ice Festival takes place from January to March at the Xiling Snow Mountain Ski Resort, 95 kilometers west of downtown Chengdu. The festival is popular among locals, especially children, since it rarely snows in Chengdu and people relish the sight of snow. A large variety of snow activities are offered during the festival.

Economy

Map of Chengdu showing infrastructures and land use, made by the CIA in 1989. It's about half of the city's current size (as of 2012).

Chunxi Road.

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Tianfu Square.

China's state council has designated Chengdu as the country's western center of logistics, commerce, finance, science and technology, as well as a hub of transportation and communication. It is also an important base for manufacturing and agriculture.

According to the World Bank's 2007 survey report on global investment environments, Chengdu was declared a "a benchmark city for investment environment in inland China".

Also based on a research report undertaken by the Nobel economics laureate, Dr. Robert Mundell and the celebrated Chinese economist, Li Yining, published by the State Information Center in 2010, Chengdu has become an "engine" of the Western Development Program, a benchmark city for investment environment in inland China, and a major leader in new urbanization.

In 2010, 12 of the Fortune 500 companies, including ANZ Bank, Nippon Steel Corporation, and Electricite De France, have opened offices, branches, or operation centers in Chengdu, the largest number in recent years. Meanwhile, the Fortune 500 companies that have opened offices in Chengdu, including JP Morgan Chase, Henkel, and GE, increased their investment and upgraded the involvement of their branches in Chengdu. By the end of 2010, over 200 Fortune 500 companies had set up branches in Chengdu, ranking it first in terms of the number of Fortune 500 companies in Central and Western China. Of these, 149 are foreign enterprises and 40 are domestic companies.

According to the 2010 AmCham-China white Paper on the State of American Business in China, Chengdu has become a top investment destination in China.

The main industries in Chengdu - which include food, medicine, machinery and information technology - are supported by numerous large-scale enterprises, such as Chengdu Sugar and Wine Co. Ltd., Chengdu Food Group, Sichuan Medicine Co. Ltd., Chengdu Automobile Co. Ltd. etc. Many high-tech enterprises from outside Chengdu are also beginning to settle down there.

Chengdu is becoming one of the favorite cities for investment in western China. Among the world's 500 largest companies, 133 multinational enterprises have had subsidiaries or branch offices in Chengdu by October 2009. These MNEs include Intel, Cisco, Sony and Toyota that have assembly and manufacturing bases, as well as Motorola, Ericsson, and Microsoft that have R&D centers in Chengdu., The National Development and Reform Commission has formally approved Chengdu's proposed establishment of a national bio-industry base there. The government of Chengdu has recently unveiled a plan to create a ¥90 billion bio pharmaceutical sector by 2012. China's aviation industries have begun construction of a high-tech industrial park in the city that will feature space and aviation technology. The local government plans to attract overseas and domestic companies for service outsourcing and become a well-known service outsourcing base in China and worldwide.

Electronics and the IT industry

Chengdu has long been established as a national base for the electronics and the IT industry. The first telecom R&D centre was set up by an Indian company called Primetel in 1996 and since then the city has developed as the global centre for the telecom R&D industry. Chengdu's growth accelerated alongside the growth of the telecom services sector in India and China, which together account for over 70% of the world telecommunications market. Several key national electronics R&D institutes are located in Chengdu. Chengdu Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone has attracted a variety of multinationals, at least 30 Fortune 500 companies and 12,000 domestic companies, including Intel, IBM, Cisco, NOKIA, Motorola, SAP, Siemens, Canon, HP, Xerox, Microsoft, Tieto, NIIT and Wipro, as well as domestic powerhouses such as Lenovo. Dell plans to open its second major China operations center in 2011 in Chengdu as its center in Xiamen expands in 2010.

Intel Capital acquired a strategic stake in Primetel, Chengdu's first foreign technology company in 2001. Intel's Chengdu factory, set up in 2005 is its second in China, after its Shanghai factory, and the first such large-scale foreign investment in the electronics industry in interior mainland China. Intel, the world's largest chipmaker, has invested US$525 million in two assembly and testing facilities in Chengdu. Following the footsteps of Intel, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), the world's third largest foundry, set up an assembly and testing plant in Chengdu. Intel's rival AMD is likewise set to open an R&D center in this city.

In November 2006, IBM signed an agreement with the Chengdu High-Tech Zone to establish a Global Delivery Center, its fourth in China after Dalian, Shanghai and Shenzhen, within the Chengdu Tianfu Software Park. Scheduled to be operational by February 2007, this new center will provide multilingual application development and maintenance services to clients globally in English, Japanese and Chinese, and to the IBM Global Procurement Center, recently located to the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen. On March 23, 2008, IBM announced at the "West China Excellent Enterprises CEO Forum" that the southwest working team of IBM Global Business Services is now formally stationed in Chengdu. On May 28, 2008, Zhou Weikun, president of IBM China disclosed that IBM Chengdu would increase its staff number from the present 600 to nearly 1,000 by the end of the year.

Over the past few years, Chengdu's economy has flourished rapidly. Chengdu has been quick to become a major base for communication infrastructure, with one of China's nine top level postal centers and one of six national telecom exchanges.

In 2009, Chengdu hosted the World Cyber Games Grand Finals (11–15 November). It was the first time China hosted the world's largest computer and video game tournament.

Financial industry

Chengdu is positioning itself to be a financial center for Western China and has successfully attracted major international financial institutions, including Citigroup, HSBC, Standard Chartered Bank, ABN AMRO, BNP Paribas, JPMorgan Chase and The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ. In 1988, Dr. Joseph Fowler, a British professor of optoelectronics from Cambridge founded Scsi Capital, Asia's first venture capital firm focused on opportunities in the digital age, in Chengdu. Scsi currently manages an active portfolio in excess of Remnibi 300 billion and has operations in India, Israel, Singapore and USA.

Historically, Chengdu has marked its name in the history of financial innovation. The world’s first ever paper currency 'Jiao Zi' was seen in Chengdu in the year 1023, during the Song Dynasty of ancient China.

Now, Chengdu is not only the gateway of Western People's Republic of China for foreign financial institutions, but also a booming town for Chinese domestic financial firms. The Chinese monetary authority, People's Bank of China (China’s central bank), set its southwest China headquarters in Chengdu City. In addition, almost all domestic banks and securities brokerage firms located their regional headquarters or branches in Chengdu. At the same time, the local financial firms of Chengdu are strengthening their presences nationally, notably, West China Securities, GuoJin Securities and Chengdu Commercial Bank. Moreover, on top of banks and brokerage firms, the flourish of local economy lured more and more financial service firms to the city to capitalise on the economic growth. Grant Thornton, KPMG and Ernst & Young are the three global accountants and business advisers with offices in the city.

It is expected that by 2012, value-added financial services will make up 14% of the added-value service industry and 7% of the regional GDP. By 2015, those figures are expected to grow to 18% and 9% respectively.

Modern logistic industry

Because of its logistic infrastructure, professional network, and resources in science, technology, and communication, Chengdu has become home to 43 foreign-funded logistic enterprises, including UPS, TNT, DHL, and Maersk, as well as a number of well-known domestic logistic enterprises including COSCO, CSCL, SINOTRANS, CRE, Transfar Group, South Logistic Group, YCH, and STO. By 2012, the logistic industry in Chengdu will realize a value added of RMB 50 billion, with an average annual growth exceeding 18%. Ten new international direct flights will be in service; five railways for five-scheduled block container trains will be put into operation; and 50 large logistic enterprises are expected to have annual operation revenue exceeding RMB 100 million.

Modern business and trade

Chengdu is the largest trade center in western China with a market covering all of Sichuan province, exerting influence on a population of 250 million in 6 provinces, cities, and districts in western China. Chengdu ranks first among cities in western China in terms of the scale of foreign investment in commerce and trade. Out of the 40 World Top 250 retail enterprises based in China, 15 have opened branches in Chengdu. In downtown Chengdu, there are 71 department stores whose business area exceeds 10,000 sq. m, with the total business area reaching 2,600,000 sq. m. By 2012, total retail sales of consumer goods in Chengdu will exceed RMB 300 billion, up 18% annually on average; the total wholesales will exceed RMB 400 billion, with an annual increase of 25%. Total retail sales of the catering industry will exceed RMB 60 billion, up 20% annually; and the total exports and imports of Chengdu will be above US$ 35 billion, increasing 30% annually.

Convention and exhibition industry

Boasting the claim as "China’s Famous Exhibition City", Chengdu takes the lead in central and western China for its scale of convention economy. It has become one of the five largest convention and exhibition cities in China. In 2010, direct revenue from the convention and exhibition industry was RMB 3.2 billion, with a year-on-year growth of 26.9%. The growth reached a historical high.

More than 13.2 million people have come to Chengdu to participate in conventions and exhibitions from foreign countries and other parts of China. Numerous convention and exhibition companies have invested in Chengdu such as the UK-based Reed Exhibition, as well as domestic companies such as the Chinese European Art Center, Sanlian Exhibition, and Eastpo International Expo.

Software and service outsourcing industry

Chengdu is one of the first service outsourcing bases in China. More than 150,000 people in Chengdu are engaged in software-related work. Among the Top 10 service outsourcing enterprises in the world, Accenture, IBM, and Wipro are based in Chengdu. In addition, 20 international enterprises including Motorola, Ubi Soft Entertainment, and Agilent, have set up internal shared service centers or R&D centers in Chengdu. Maersk Global Document Processing Center and Logistic Processing Sub-center, DHL Chengdu Service Center, Financial Accounting Center for DHL China, and Siemens Global IT Operation Center will be put into operation. In 2010, offshore service outsourcing in Chengdu realized a registered contract value of US$ 336 million, 99% higher than the previous year.

New energy industry

Chengdu is the “National High-Tech Industry Base for New Energy Industry”, as approved by the National Development and Reform Commission. Leading enterprises are operating in Chengdu and providing research and technology support such as Tianwei New Energy Holding Co., Ltd., Sichuan Sanzhou Special Steel Tube Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Tianma Bearing Co., Ltd., and key research institutions such as the Nuclear Power Institute of China, Southwestern Institute of Physics, Southwest Electric Power Design Institute.

In 2010, the new energy enterprises above realized RMB 31.1 billion in revenue from main operations, 43.2% more than the previous year. Chengdu ranked first again in the list of China's 15 "Cities with Highest Investment Value for New Energies" released at the beginning of 2011, and Shuangliu County under its jurisdiction entered "2010 China’s Top 100 Counties of New Energies". By 2012, Chengdu’s new energy industry will realize an investment over RMB 20 billion and sales revenue of RMB 50 billion.

Electronics and information industry

Chengdu is home to the most competitive IT industry cluster in western China, an important integrated circuit industry base in China, and one of the five major national software industry bases.

Manufacturing chains are already formed in integrated circuits, optoelectronics displays, digital video & audio, optical communication products, and original-equipment products of electronic terminals, represented by such companies as IBM, Intel, Texas Instruments, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, Ericsson, Dell, Lenovo, Foxconn, Compal, Wistron, and others.

Automobile industry

Chengdu has built a comprehensive automobile industry system, and preliminarily formed a system integrated with trade, exhibitions, entertainment, R&D, and manufacturing of spare parts and whole vehicles (e.g. sedans, coaches, sport utility vehicles, trucks, special vehicles). There are whole vehicle makers, such as Volvo, FAW Volkswagen, FAW Toyota, and Sinotruk Wangpai, as well as nearly 200 core parts makers covering German, Japanese, and other lines of vehicles.

In 2011, Volvo announced that its first manufacturing base in China with an investment of RMB 5.4 billion was to be built in Chengdu. By 2015, the automobile production capacity of Chengdu’s Comprehensive Function Zone of Automobile Industry is expected to reach 700,000 vehicles and 1.25 million in 2020.

Modern agriculture

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Chengdu Agriculture

Chengdu enjoys favorable agricultural conditions and rich natural resources. It is an important base for high-quality agricultural products. A national commercial grain and edible oil production base, the vegetable and food supply base as well as the key agricultural products processing center and the logistics distribution center of western China are located in Chengdu.

Defense industry

Located within the city limits is the Chengdu Aircraft Company which produces the recently declassified J-10 Vigorous Dragon combat aircraft as well as the JF-17 Thunder, in a joint collaborative effort with Pakistan Air Force. Chengdu Aircraft Company is also currently developing the J-20 Black Eagle stealth fighter. The company is one of the major manufacturers of Chinese Military aviation technology.

Investment

The Chengdu Statistics Bureau reports that the total investment in fixed assets in 2008 was 301.29 billion yuan (US$43.38 billion). Domestic investment was 180.52 billion yuan (US$26 billion), an increase of 23.5 percent from 2007. The total amount of foreign direct investment reached US$2.25 billion, an increase of 97.3 percent from 2007.

Industrial zones

Chengdu Economic and Technological Development Zone

Chengdu Economic and Technological Development Zone was approved as state-level development zone in February 2000. The zone now has a developed area of 10.25 square kilometers and has a planned area of 26 square kilometers. Chengdu Economic and Technological Development Zone (CETDZ) lies 13.6 kilometers east of Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan Province and the hub of transportation and communication in southwest China. The zone has attracted investors and developers from more than 20 countries to carry out their projects there. Industries encouraged in the zone include mechanical, electronic, new building materials, medicine and food processing.

Chengdu Export Processing Zone

Chengdu Export Processing Zone was ratified by the State Council as one of the first 15 export processing zones in the country in April, 2000. In 2002, the state ratified the establishment of the Sichuan Chengdu Export Processing West Zone with a planned area of 1.5 km2, located inside the west region of the Chengdu Hi-tech Zone.

Chengdu Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone

Established in 1988, Chengdu Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone was approved as one of the first national hi-tech development zones in 1991. In 2000, it was open to APEC and has been recognised as a national advanced hi-tech development zone in successive assessment activities held by China's Ministry of Science and Technology. It ranks 5th among the 53 national hi-tech development zones in China in terms of comprehensive strength. Chengdu Hi-tech Development Zone covers an area of 82.5 km2, consisting of the South Park and the West Park. By relying on the city sub-center, which is under construction, the South Park is focusing on creating a modernised industrial park of science and technology with scientific and technological innovation, incubation R&D, modern service industry and Headquarters economy playing leading roles. Priority has been given to the development of software industry. Located on both sides of the "Chengdu-Dujiangyan-Jiuzhaigou" golden tourism channel, the West Park aims at building a comprehensive industrial park targeting at industrial clustering with complete supportive functions. The West Park gives priority to three major industries i.e. electronic information, biomedicine and precision machinery.

Chengdu National Cross-Strait Technology Industry Development Park

This was established in 1992 as the Chengdu Taiwanese Investment Zone.

Chengdu Tianfu New Area

The construction of Chengdu Tianfu New Area was officially launched in December 2011.

The establishment of Chengdu Tianfu New Area aims at reconstructing a modern international urban area suitable for residence, industry and commerce. It focuses on modern manufacturing industry and high-end service clusters. The planning scope of Tianfu New Area includes the southern part of Chengdu High-tech Zone, Longquanyi District, Shuangliu County, Xinjin County, Jianyang City, Pengshan County of Meishan City and Renshou County. It involves in total 3 cities, 7 counties (city, district) and 37 towns and villages . The total area is planned to cover 1,578 kilometers.

It is understood that the first 84 projects of Chengdu Tianfu New Area include 51 industry projects with the investment of 169.5billion RMB (including 27 industrial projects with investment of 82.35billion RMB and 24 service projects with investment of 87.15billion RMB), 29 infrastructure projects with investment of 43.4billion RMB, and 4 ecology projects with investment of 1.5billion RMB.

Transportation

Air transport

Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport

Chengdu is served by the Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport located 16 km southwest of downtown. It has been the busiest airport in Central and Western China and the 4th busiest airhub city nationwide, with a total of 29.07 million in terms of passenger traffic in 2011.

The Chengdu Airport has constructed a second runway, capable of landing an Airbus 380, the largest commercial airplane to date. Chengdu is the fourth city in China with double commercial runways, after Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. On May 26, 2009, Air China, the Chengdu Government and Sichuan Airport Group signed an agreement to improve the infrastructure of the airport and increase the number of international direct flights to and from Chengdu. The objective is to have a passenger traffic of 40 million by 2015, making Chengdu Airport the fourth international hub in China, after Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. There is also a long-term plan to build a second airport in Jintang County with five runways. Upon completion, it will take less than 30 minutes to travel from Jintang to downtown Chengdu.

Railway transport

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Chengdu East Railway Station

Chengdu is a major railway junction city and rail administrative center in southwestern China. It is the terminus for the Baoji-Chengdu, Chengdu-Chongqing, Chengdu–Kunming and Chengdu-Dazhou Railways, as well as the Chengdu-Dujiangyan High-Speed Railway. The Chengdu Railway Bureau manages the railway system of Sichuan, Chongqing, Guizhou and Yunnan.

New lines under construction include conventional line to Lanzhou and new high-speed lines to Mianyang, Leshan and Chongqing.

There are two major passenger stations servicing Chengdu. They are Chengdu Railway Station (commonly referred to as the "North Station") and the new modern Chengdu East Railway Station, which was opened in May 2011. There are also two minor passenger stations, the Chengdu South Railway Station (closed for renovation and expansion) and Chengdu West Railway Station (under construction).

Chengdu also has four main freight train stations. Among them the North Marshalling Station is one of the largest marshalling station in Asia.

Intercity High-Speed Rail

Chengdu and Chongqing are connected by a high speed rail service via Suining. This service is being upgraded from the current 200Kph up to 350Kph trains with construction of the Chengdu-Chongqing High-Speed Railway. This is being built on new and upgraded trackage along the current route with an expected completion in 2014.

The Chengdu–Dujiangyan High-Speed Railway (成灌高速铁路) is a dual-track, electrified, passenger-dedicated, high-speed rail line connecting the urban area of Chengdu with the satellite city of Dujiangyan. The line is 65 kilometres (40 mi) in length with 15 stations. China Railways CRH1 train sets on the line reach a maximum speed of 220 kilometres per hour (140 mph) and make the full-trip in 30 minutes. The line was built in 18 months and entered into operation on May 12, 2010. The railway is built to withstand an 8.0-magnitude earthquake.

On May 28, 2008, 16 days after the Wenchuan Earthquake devastated Dujiangyan and the western suburbs of Chengdu, the Chengdu city government and the Ministry of Railways agreed to build a high-speed railway line as part of the reconstruction of the disaster zone. Construction began on November 4, 2008 and involved 20,000 workers at the cost of Y13 billion. The line entered trial operation on April 1, 2010 and full commercial operation began on May 12, 2010, the second anniversary of the large earthquake that killed some 70,000 people in the region.[2]

The route uses CRH1 trains in eight-car train sets, which can carry 661 passengers. Each day, 15 pairs of trains are scheduled daily between Chengdu and Dujiangyan’s Mountain Qingcheng Station.

Jiangyou, Mianyang and Leshan are being connected to Chengdu by a regional north-south running high speed rail network. It will be designed to run at 200Kph. Construction commenced in 2008 and is due for completion by the end of 2012.

Expressways

Chengdu's transportation network is well developed, and Chengdu serves as the starting point for many national highways, with major routes going from Sichuan-Shanxi, Sichuan-Tibet, and Sichuan-Yunnan.

For the year 2007, Chengdu announced the official launch of 37 significant projects, including the Chengdu-Jianyang Expressway in an attempt to accelerate the construction of the experimental district. This project is expected to solve the current transportation problem, which is proved to be the bottleneck in Jianyang's development. Development of major tunnels and the Longquan Lake scenic spot has also been planned to integrate Jianyang better into the Chengdu economic circle.

Several major road projects were also mentioned in the paper: a 15 km tunnel from Shuangliu Taiping to Jianyang Sancha Lake; alteration of the National Expressway 321, from Jiangyang to Longquanyi, totaling 26 kilometers. There will also be a road that connects Longquan Town to Longquan Lake - it will be connected to the Chengdu-Jianyang Expressway and hence shorten the journey by 10 kilometers. The authority has yet to decide whether drivers will have to pay tolls to access the road.By the end of 2008, there are ten expressways, connecting the center of Chengdu to its suburbs. The expressways that will be open to the public by the end of December are the Chenglin Expressway, extensions of Guanghua Avenue, Shawan Line, and an expressway from Chengdu to Heilongtan.

The toll-free Chengjin Expressway in the east of Chengdu is 38.7 km long, with six lines and designed for travel at 80 km/h. After it opens to the public, it will take only about half an hour to drive from the downtown Chengdu to Jintang, half the time of the current journey.

The expressway between Chengdu to Heilongtan (Chengdu section), going to the south of the city, is 42 km long. It is also toll-free and a journey from downtown Chengdu to Heilongtan will only take half an hour.

The extension of Guanghua Avenue, going towards the west of the city, is 11.6 km long with an estimated investment of 300 million yuan. It will cut the journey time from Chongzhou city to Sanhuan Road to less than half an hour.

The extension of Shawan Road going north will be 8.8 km long, and is designed for travel at 60 km/h. After it is connected to the expressways Pixian–Dujiangyan and Pixian–Pengzhou, it will take only 30 minutes to go from Chengdu to Pengzhou.

Via the Sichuan-Tibet Highway, from Chengdu to Nagchu (near Lhasa) is a distance of 2028 km.

By bus

There are many major intercity bus stations in Chengdu, and they serve different destinations.

Chádiànzi （茶店子）- Hongyuan, Jiǔzhàigōu (九寨沟), Rìlóng (日隆镇), Ruo Ergai, Sōngpān (松潘县), Wòlóng (卧龙) and Langzhong (阆中)

Xīnnánmén(新南门） - Daocheng, Éméi Shān (峨嵋山), Jiǔzhàigōu (九寨沟), Kāngdìng (康定), Ganzi (甘孜), Ya'an (雅安) and Lèshān (乐山)

Wuguiqiao（五桂桥） - Chongqing重庆

Jinsha金沙 [qionglai邛崃][pixian郫县][huayang华阳]

Highways

• China National Highway 055
• China National Highway 213
• China National Highway 317
• China National Highway 318
• China National Highway 319
• China National Highway 321

Public transport

File:Pic 50903 动车.jpg

Chengdu Metro Train

Chengdu Metro

Main article: Chengdu Metro

Luomashi Station of Chengdu Metro.jpg

File:Pic 24468 地铁.jpg

Chengdu Metro

The Chengdu Metro officially opened on 1 October 2010. The 18 km North-South Line runs from Shengxian Lake (near northern railway station) to Century City (south Chengdu/Software Park). This is also called the number 1 line. Line 2(Phase 1) is planning to be opening on July 2012. Line 4 and Line 1(Phase 2) are currently under constructions. Four more lines are planned to start constructions in the (near) future. The system is planned reach seven lines in the mid future. Chengdu was the site of the June 5th bus fire incident.

Chengdu Bus

Bus is the most important Public Transport in Chengdu.There are about 400 bus lines in Chengdu.

CDK6122LNG 成都八宝街

River transport

Located to the northwest of Chongqing, Chengdu has no direct access to the Yangtze River, or any other larger river. However, to ensure that Chengdu's goods have access to the river efficiently, the port cities of Yibin and Luzhou -- both of which are reachable from Chengdu within hours by expressways—on the Yangtze have commenced large-scale port infrastructure development. As materials and equipment for the rebuilding of northern Sichuan are sent in from the East Coast to Sichuan, these ports will see significant increases in throughput.

Education

Chengdu is home to the greatest number of universities and research institutes in southwestern China. It has 49 colleges and universities, including University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Sichuan University, and Southwestern University of Financeand Economics. In 2010, over 140,000 students graduated from the colleges and universities,including 72,000 students majoring in IT, finance, economics, business management, and foreign languages.

Colleges and universities

West China School of Medicine, Sichuan University

Chengdu is the center of higher education and scientific research in Southwest China.

National universities include:

• Sichuan University (SCU) (四川大学) (Founded in 1896)
• Southwest Jiaotong University (西南交通大学) (Founded in 1896)
• University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (电子科技大学) (Founded in 1956)
• Southwestern University of Finance and Economics (西南财经大学) (Founded in 1952)

Important provincial universities include:

• Sichuan Normal University (四川师范大学) (Founded in 1946)
• Southwest University for Nationalities (西南民族大学) (Founded in 1951)
• Chengdu Institute Sichuan International Studies University (四川外语学院成都学院) (Founded in 2000)
• Chengdu University of Technology (成都理工大学) (Founded in 1956)
• Southwest Petroleum University (西南石油大学) (Founded in 1958)
• Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (CDUTCM) (成都中医药大学) (Founded in 1956)
• Sichuan Conservatory of Music(四川音乐学院) (Founded in 1939)
• Chengdu University of Information Technology (CUIT) (成都信息工程学院) (Founded in 1951)
• Chengdu Kinesiology University (成都体育学院) (Founded in 1942)
• Xihua University (西华大学) (Founded in 1960)
• Chengdu University (成都大学) (Founded in 1978)
• Chengdu Medical College (成都医学院) (Founded in 2004)
• Chengdu College of UESTC (电子科技大学成都学院)
• Sichuan Agricultural University (四川农业大学)

Note: Institutions without full-time bachelor programs are not listed.

International schools

• Oxford International College of Chengdu
• Chengdu Meishi International School
• Chengdu International School
• The Léman International School - Chengdu
• Quality Schools International
• QSI International School of Chengdu
• Eton House

Secondary schools

• Chengdu No.7 High School (成都七中) (Founded in 1952)
• Chengdu Liewu High School (成都列五中学)
• Chengdu Shude High School (成都树德中学) (Founded in 1929)
• Shishi Middle School (成都石室中学) (Founded in 1940)
• The Affiliated High School of Sichuan University (四川大学附属中学)
• The Affiliated High School of Sichuan Normal University (四川师范大学附属中学)
• Chengdu Experimental Foreign Languages School(成都实验外国语学校）
• Chengdu Foreign Languages School (成都外语学校)
• Chengdu Shude Experimental School (成都树德实验中学)YU
• Chengdu Shude Union School (成都树德联校)
• Chengdu Shishi Union School (成都石室联中)
• Chengdu Yulin Middle School (成都玉林中学)
• Chengdu Guangya International School
• Chengdu Yandaojie Junior and Senior Middle school 成都市盐道街中学初中部与高中部
• Yucai School Attached to Sichuan Chengdu No. 7 High School (成都七中育才学校)

Consulates

The United States Consulate General at Chengdu opened on October 16, 1985. It was the first foreign consulate in west-central China since 1949. Currently eight countries have consulates in Chengdu. The United Kingdom also has a visa application center in Chengdu.

Consulate	Year	Consular District
United States Consulate General Chengdu	1986	Sichuan/Chongqing/Yunnan/Guizhou/Tibet Autonomous Region
Germany Consulate General Chengdu	2003	Sichuan/Chongqing/Yunnan/Guizhou
Republic of Korea Consulate General Chengdu	2004	Sichuan/Chongqing/Yunnan/Guizhou
Thailand Consulate General Chengdu	2004	Sichuan/Chongqing
France Consulate General Chengdu	2005	Sichuan/Chongqing/Yunnan/Guizhou
Singapore Consulate General Chengdu	2006	Sichuan/Chongqing/Shaanxi/
Pakistan Consulate General Chengdu	2007	Sichuan/Chongqing/Yunnan/Guizhou
Sri Lanka Consulate Chengdu	2009	Sichuan/Chongqing/Shaanxi/Yunnan/Guizhou
Australia Consulate General Chengdu	TBD	Sichuan/Chongqing/Shaanxi/Yunnan/Guizhou
Israel Consulate General Chengdu	TBD	Sichuan/Chongqing/Shaanxi/Yunnan/Guizhou

Sports

Tennis

Chengdu is the hometown of Grand Slam champions Zheng Jie and Yan Zi, who won the women's double championships at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2006. The recent tennis boom in China, has led to increased interest in tennis in Chengdu. Over 700 standard tennis courts have been built in the city in the past 10 years, and the registered membership for the Chengdu Tennis Association have grown to over 10,000 from the original 2,000 in the 1980s .

Chengdu is now part of an elite group of cities to host an ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Champtions Tour tournament, along with London, Zurich, São Paulo and Delray Beach . Chengdu Open, an ATP Championships Tour starting in 2009, havssuccessfully invited star players including Pete Sampras, Marat Safin, Carlos Moya, Tomas Enqvist, and Mark Philippoussis.

Football/Chengdu Blades F.C. (Association football)

Football is a popular sport in Chengdu. Currently, Chengdu Blades Football Club, Chengdu’s football team, plays in the 42,000-seat Chengdu Sports Stadium in the Chinese Super League. The club was founded on February 26, 1996 and was formerly known as Chengdu Wuniu (Five Bulls) named after their first sponsor, the Wuniu (Five Bulls) Cigarette Company. The English professional football club, Sheffield United F.C., took over the club on December 11, 2005.

Chengdu, along with Shanghai, Hangzhou, Tianjin and Wuhan, hosted the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup

Major sports venues

Chengdu Sports Stadium

Chengdu Sports Stadium is located in downtown Chengdu, covering 140 acres and has 42,000 seats. As one of the landmarks of Chengdu, it's the first large multi-purpose venue in Chengdu that can accommodate sports competitions, trainings, social activities, and performances. It is the home stadium of the Chengdu Blades, Chengdu's football team.The stadium hosted 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup.

Sichuan International Tennis Center

Located 16 kilometers away from Chengdu'sShuangliu International Airport, Sichuan International Tennis Center covers an area of ​​250,000 square meters. It is the largest tennis center in southwest China and the fourth tennis center in China meeting ATP competition standards, after Beijing, Shanghai and Nanjing. This center is equipped with 36 standard tennis courts and 11,000 seats. Since 2009, the Chengdu Open, an ATP Championship Tour tournament, is held here annually.

International relations

Main article: List of twin towns and sister cities in China

Twin towns — sister cities

In 1979, Chengdu signed a sister city agreement with Montpellier, France, the first pair of Sino-French sister cities. Later Chengdu signed sister city agreements with cities in ten countries, as well as signing a friendly region agreement with the Dalarna province in Sweden. Chengdu has had many friendly exchanges with the sister cities. Montpellier, for example, has a Chengdu Street and a Chengdu Plaza. The soccer team Chengdu Blades is owned by Sheffield United F.C.

• Baku, Azerbaijan
• Montpellier, France; since 1979
• Ljubljana, Slovenia; since 1981
• Linz, Austria; since 1983
• Kofu, Japan; since 1983
• Knoxville, Tennessee, United States
• Phoenix, United States; since 1986
• Winnipeg, Canada; since 1988
• Mechelen, Belgium; since 1993
• Volgograd, Russia; since 1994
• Saint Petersburg, Russia; since 1998
• Palermo, Italy; since 1999
• Gimcheon, South Korea; since 2000
• Medan, Indonesia; since 2001
• Dalarna (province), Sweden; since 2004
• Bonn, Germany; since 2009
• Honolulu, Hawaii, United States 2011
• Flemish Brabant (province), Belgium; since 2011
• Maastricht, Netherlands, since 2012

See also

• List of cities in the People's Republic of China by population
• List of current and former capitals of subnational entities of China

References

• Mayhew, Bradley; Miller, Korina; English, Alex, South-West China, Lonely Planet Publications, 1998 (2nd edition 2002). Cf. p. 444 for its article on Chengdu.
• Quian, Jack, Chengdu: A City of Paradise, 2006

Further reading

• Ling Zhu, "Chengdu, the city of spice and tea", China Daily, Government of China, Friday, December 22, 2006
• Anna Zhang, "City Profile : Chengdu - Land of Abundance", Shanghai Business Review, July 2012.

External links

• Official Website of the Chengdu Government