Chengdu, the capital of China's southwest Sichuan Province, is famed for being the home of cute giant pandas. Located in the west of Sichuan Basin and in the center of Chengdu Plain, the city covers a total area of 12.3 thousand square kilometres (4,749 square miles) with a population of over 11 million.

Benefiting from Dujiangyan Irrigation Project which was constructed in 256 B.C., Sichuan Province is reputed as the Heavenly State, Tian Fu Zhi Guo in Chinese, literally a place richly endowed with natural resources. Chengdu, as the capital, is extremely productive. The Min and Tuo Rivers, two branches of the Yangtze River, connected to 40 other rivers, supply an irrigation area of more than 700 square kilometres (270.27 square miles) with 150-180 million kilowatts of water. Consisting of abundant mineral resources, the land is extremely fertile.

Some attractions recommended

Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding 熊猫基地

Located just 10 km (6 miles) away from downtown, the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding has been created and imitated the natural habitat of giant pandas in order that they might have the best possible environment for rearing and breeding. It houses the most popular panda stars with millions of fans.The giant pandas are not only a Chinese national treasure but are also beloved by people the world over. They are found only in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces. In total there are fewer than 2,000, of which 70% are distributed within the territory of Sichuan Province. Therefore, when visitors from home and abroad come to Chengdu, Sichuan, one of their main objectives will be to see this lovely animal for themselves.

Wuhou Temple 武侯祠

Wuhou Temple, also known as Wuhou Shrine Temple of Marquis, is dedicated to Zhuge Liang, the Marquis Wu (Wuhou) of the Kingdom of Shu in the Three Kingdoms Period (220 - 280). Zhuge Liang was an excellent politician, militarist, diplomat and astronomer. In addition, the Temple of Liu Bei, the emperor of Shuhan, and his mausoleum are well-known historical sites inside this big scenic spot. Wuhou Temple is located in the southwestern part of downtown Chengdu. The date of its establishment is unclear. We know only that it was built next to the Temple of Liu Bei. Consequently, the entrance plaque reads “Zhaolie Temple of Shuhan Kingdom”. Zhaolie is the posthumous title of Liu Bei. The current Wuhou Temple was rebuilt in 1672.

Wide and Narrow Alley 宽窄巷子

Consisting of Wide Alley (Kuan Xiangzi), Narrow Alley (Zhai Xiangzi), Well Alley (Jing Xiangzi) three parallel ancient city alleys and 45 courtyards along them, Wide and Narrow Alley is one of Chengdu’s historical and cultural reserves, together with Daci Temple reserve and Wenshu Monastery reserve. It is a microcosm of the city’s history as well as a deep mark in local people’s memory. The history of Wide and Narrow Alley can be dated back to the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911 AD). At that time, the area was a city within the Chengdu city called Mancheng City or Shaocheng City, where the court quartered troops. As time passed by, the city decayed and only the Wide Alley and Narrow Alley were left. In 2003, renovation work of the two alleys began, aiming to build a complex cultural and business street with the functions of tourism and recreation. On June 14, 2008, the newly renovated Wide, Narrow and Well Alley were opened to the public, located in nowadays Qingyang District, to the east of Tongren Road and west of Changshun Street. Nowadays, Wide and Narrow Alley is a popular entertainment and nightlife block as well as a famous tourism site, with lots of restaurants, pubs, teahouses, and stores selling featured souvenirs.

Sanxingdui Museum 三星堆博物馆

A latest historical discovery of Sanxingdui Site: Traces of welding technique was found on a turtle shell-like bronze ware with the help of x-rays, pushing world’s welding history forward 2,000 years. It is not an easy thing to weld bronze parts together even today, because of the fast solidify speed of bronze liquid. Researchers once found phosphorus in Sanxingdui bronze wares, which may be the reason of the advanced craftsmanship back then. But phosphorus was not discovered by late 17th century by German. It still remains unknown how and where did Sanxingdui artists get it?

Moreover, by October, 2024, archaeologists has identified 19 kinds of jade and stone materials at the discovered jade workshop dating back over 3,400 years at Sanxingdui, and found that the origin of raw materials was likely Longmen Mountain area in the northwest of the Chengdu Plain. Sanxingdui Museum (Three-Star Piles Museum) is located in Northeast of Three-Star Piles archeological site, west of the famous cultural city of Guanghan, on the bank of Jian River (commonly called Yazi River), 40 kilometers (about 24.9 miles) north of Chengdu City. Covering an exhibition area of 4,000 square meters (nearly 1 acre), and opened in October 1997 this is an archeological museum with excellent modern facilities. The cultural relics preserved here were mostly unearthed from the Three-Star Piles site.

Chengdu Metro Map 2024