Established over 2,300 years ago, Chengdu is the capital of the Chinese province of Sichuan. The country’s fourth most populous city, with almost 21 million inhabitants, Chengdu is the only Chinese mega-city that has kept the same name and location for over two centuries. From being home to the Giant Panda to being the birthplace of Sichuan Cuisine, there are many reasons to visit Chengdu, but here are just 5.
1. Home of the Giant Panda
Chinese National treasure and symbol of the World Wildlife Fund, Giant Pandas are among the rarest endangered animal species on the planet, only about 1,800 still living in the wild. They populate large baboo forests in the Tibetan foothills of the Sichuan, Gansu and Shaanxi provinces, 80% being found in Sichuan. There are several Giant Panda bases in and around Chengdu, welcoming visitors to not just see and learn about the animals, but also to interact with them.
China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP), Dujiangyan Panda Base, offers volunteer programs that give visitors an opportunity to get closer contact with the animals, working with the staff to take care of the pandas. The Giant Panda Breeding and Research Base specialises in the care of breeding and therefore baby pandas. August and September are the best months to visit for seeing newborn panda cubs.
Lastly, for those wanting to get a glimpse of what the pandas behave like in their natural habitat, the Wolong National Nature Reserve, or Wolong Panda Center, about 120 km northwest of Chengdu, is considered he real hometown of wild pandas. It is a newly built centre that focuses on panda wilderness training programs and visitors can hike in the wild pandas’ habitat for a chance to see the animals undisturbed by humans.
2. Magical Face Changing
Magical face-changing is a staple of the Sichuan Opera style, one of the oldest regional opera traditions in China. Although magicians, acrobats and fire spitters also dazzle audiences, it is the face-changing that entices spectators the most.
Originating about 300 years ago, face-changing involves the use of multiple masks that actors change at lightning speed to reveal new sides of their characters without changing their make-up. The well-guarded secrets behind this art have been passed down in theatre families from generation to generation. Skilled opera stars can change as many as 10 masks in just 20 seconds, an ability that continues to puzzle and astonish audiences.
3. Leshan Giant Buddha
“The mountain is a Buddha and the Buddha is a mountain” is what locals say about the 71-metre tall Buddha statue near the city of Leshan, about 150 km from Chengdu. Built between 713 and 803, it is both the largest and tallest Buddha statues in the world, as well as the tallest pre-modern statue in the world. Carved into the hillside of Xijuo Peak, the red sandstone statue faces Mount Emei, with the Min and Dadu Rivers’ confluence at its feet.
The statue and the Mount Emei Scenic Area it is part of have been inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites list since 1996 for exceptional cultural significance as this is the place where Buddhism first became established on Chinese territory and from where it spread widely through the East.
4. Mount Emei
Mount Emei is one of the four sacred mountains of China, along with Mount Wutai of Shanxi Province, Mount Putuo of Zhejiang Province and Mount Jiuhua of Anhui Province. The first Buddhist temple in China was built on the summit of Mount Emei in the 1st century CE.
The addition of more than 30 other temples, including the 4th century Wannian Temple, containing the 7.85m high Puxian bronze Buddha of the 10th century, garden temples, such as the early 6th century Qingyin complex of pavilions, towers and platforms, the early 17th century Baoguo Temple and the Ligou Garden (Fuhu Temple), as well as the Giant Buddha statue, have turned the mountain into one of Buddhism’s holiest sites.
5. UNESCO City of Gastronomy
Chengdu was among the first cities in the world to be declared a UNESCO City of Gastronomy. Inscribed in 2010, it is the birthplace of Sichuan Cuisine, one of the four staple cuisine types in China, along with Guangdong cuisine, Shandong cuisine and the Yangtze and Huaihe river-side cuisine. In its description of the city, UNECO cites a Chinese saying: “the best cuisine is from China, while the richest flavour is from Chengdu”.
Chengdu cuisine is characterised by a great variety of flavours, based on the artful mix of sweet, sour, bitter, spicy and salty flavours, some of the most popular dishes being pockmarked grandma’s tofu, dry-fried green beans, boiled fish in chili oil sauce, twice-cooked pork, kung pao chicken and fish fragrant pork. Also called the “Land of Abundance and City of Gourmet”, Chengdu established the first brewery, the first tea culture centre and the first food museum in China. To date, the city boasts over 60,000 restaurants and more than 2,300 renowned chefs and serving masters.
