Chengdu is the capital city of Sichuan
province. With a population of 10.6 million, Chengdu
is the fourth largest city in China, and covers an
area of 11,936 square kilometers. Chengdu is also
called "The Brocade city ½õ³Ç" and "The
City of Hibiscus ÈسÇ". In Western Han Dynasty
(206 BC), brocade produced in Chengdu were popular
among the royal and the rich; hence, it was called
the Brocade City. During the period of 907 - 960,
the king of the Later Shu Kingdom ordered the planting
of hibiscus on the city walls, and thus chengdu was
called the City of Hibiscus.
Modern Chengdu City
Today, Chengdu has become an exciting
and vibrant metropolis. The city is filled with shopping
malls, arts and entertainment centers, and aside from
all the authentic Sichuan cuisine restaurants, you
will find a variety of western stores and restaurants.
Photo of a Pizza Hut restaurant in Chengdu, on the
2nd floor of a commercial building. In China, the
Pizza Hut chain name is translated as "Bi Shen
Ke", or meaning "A customer that wins
for sure.".
Within the city, everywhere you
go, you will see sky scrappers or tall residential
buildings. Being the capital city of Sichuan, Chengdu
is quite clean and well organized. You'll often see
city workers cleaning the streets, picking up trash,
and cleaning trucks driving by washing the roads.
You'll even see workers sweeping the highway with
a bamboo broom - no i'm not kidding!
A photo taken at Chengdu's most famous shopping
district: "Chun Xi Lu".
Another photo of Chun Xi Lu at night time.
Chengdu Weather
Chengdu is located in southern China,
and has a typical sub-tropical humid climate. The
annual average temperature in Chengdu is 15.5 degrees
and receives about 100cm of rain. The sky in Chengdu
is almost always cloudy and smoggy. It's especially
noticeable to foreigners that first step off the air
plane. I remember the first time I walked off the
plane at the Chengdu International Airport, the smoggy
air left me with the deepest impression. Even on sunny
days, you'd be lucky if you could see a clear blue
sky. But, it's not so bad once you stay there for
a day or two.
The summers are hot and humid, while
the winters and cold and dry. It doesn't get too cold
in Chengdu in winter, except that because the city
is located in southern China where it doesn't get
too cold, most homes don't have heating systems -
unlike North America.
Chengdu Tourism
There's plenty to do and see in
Chengdu and nearby area. One of the most famous tourist
destination in Chengdu is the Du
Fu Thatched Village. The Wolong
Panda Nature Reserve is also another popular tourist
destination. Around Chengdu, you will find popular
tourism spots such as Mount
Emei, Leshan
Giant Buddha, and JiuZhaiGou.
Chengdu is a popular tourist city offering all sorts
of attractions and entertainment - you won't be disappointed.
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