Chengdu is the capital of modern China’s Sichuan province. If a city’s name is any indication of its fortunes, then Chengdu is aptly named, for it translates to "become a capital" (Cheng – become, Du - capital). The ancestors of the Shu people lived in this area over 3,700 years ago. The Ninth King of the Shu, Kai Ming, founded the first city built on the site. He moved his capital from today's nearby Pixian and named his new city "Cheng Du". Following conquest of the State of Shu in 316 BC, Qin General Zhang Yi constructed a wall of 12 li (6 km) in circumference and seven zhang (about 25m) high, formally establishing the city of Chengdu.

The area surrounding the city is mountainous in the northwest, with flat plains lying to the southeast and low hills in between. The climate of the region is quite temperate. Temperatures vary from lows of around 40 degrees in the winter to highs of around 80 degrees in the summer, with an average amount of rainfall. The area is very humid and the summers are uncomfortable and muggy, when the temperature rises. The surrounding mountains catch and concentrate the humidity, making the city perpetually overcast. Locals say that because of the perpetual cloudiness, the sky sits lower here than in other parts of China and stunts the growth of the populace, making them shorter than the average Chinese!

Geographically, the city is located on a fertile but dry plain. Coming down from the mountains, the Minjiang River (not to be confused with another Minjiang River in Fuijan Province), splits into four tributaries, two of which surround Chengdu. The Qin took advantage of the ample water supply and established the world's first large-scale irrigation system. This is the famous Dujiangyan Irrigation System, which was built in 250 BC during the Warring States Era. During rainy years before the irrigation system and its accompanying dam were constructed, the Minjiang river rampaged from the heights of Yulei Mountain down onto the Chengdu plain causing terrible floods. The river’s flow was minimal during dry years and failed to provide enough water for the local farmers to grow food for the city’s inhabitants.

In order to balance the two extremes, Qin governor Li Bing made a careful survey of the region and then supervised the construction of a water management system. The Dujiangyan Irrigation System consists of three parts: a fish-mouth-like water-dividing dyke, two spillways for discharging flood waters and silt, and a channel cut through Yulei Mountain as a water inlet. The channel from the mountain brings the water to the dyke. The dyke divides the Minjiang River into an inner and an outer river. Water from the inner part of the dyke flows to irrigate the fields of Chengdu. The outer river, in combination with the spillways, helps to control flooding.

The Dujiangyan Irrigation System was listed by the United Nations Heritage Commission as a World Cultural Heritage on November 29, 2000. If you have Quick Time installed and a good internet connection, you can take a virtual tour of the Dujiangyan Irrigation System HERE, at the World Heritage Tour site.

In the Qin and Han Dynasties, Chengdu was a famous hub of commerce. By the Tang and Song dynasties, traditional businesses were gradually replaced by a row of shops facing the street and manufacturing shops attached to the back. The city consisted of five major commercial centers and a large out-of-town hay market. Festivals were held throughout the year: lantern in January; flower in February; silkworm in March; brocade in April; fan in May; incense in June; seven treasures in July; fragrance in August; medicine in September; wine in October; plum in November; and peach wooden charms in December. There were also many night fairs at the time. The merchants of this city were the first ones to use paper money, during the Song Dynasty. Today, you will still hear echoes of the city's historical commerce in such names as "Business Street" and "Button Fair Street."

A backbone of the ancient city's economy was the manufacture of silk. During the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-23 AD), Chengdu became known as Brocade City because the brocade cloth produced here enjoyed great popularity among China's elite classes. Sichuan silk brocade was the most highly prized because of its elaborate patterns and colors, which surpassed all other styles of brocade. This magnificent cloth was exported to Central Asia along the Silk Road. Linen was also manufactured here and sold as far abroad as the area around Afghanistan.

Papermaking was invented in Chengdu some time between 600-1200 AD. During Tang Dynasty, the city produced the official paper used to print imperial decrees and edicts, and books for the State Library. Woodblock printing also originated in Chengdu. By the Song Dynasty, the city was one of China's three major printing bases. Among the Dunhuang documents in the London Museum resides a woodblock-printed almanac made in Chengdu around 220 AD. It is the earliest of its kind.

In the Tang and Song periods (600-1200 AD), Chengdu was China's principal tea production and trading center. During the Qing Dynasty, Chengdu formed a unique tea drinking culture that has lasted through the centuries, and today the city has the largest number of teahouses in the world. A visit to Chengdu is not complete without a trip to one of them!

Another nickname for Chengdu is Hibiscus City. In the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period (907-960), the ruler ordered the planting of hibiscus on the fortress wall surrounding the city. From that time forward, people referred to it as the City of Hibiscus. The hibiscus is still the city flower of modern Chengdu.

Famous Citizens:

Du Fu: During the Tang Dynasty, the "Poet Sage" Du Fu constructed the celebrated "Caotang" (grass-hut) in the second year of his four-years stay (759-762). Today's Caotang, a rather sumptuous house in the traditional style, was constructed in 1078, in memory of Du Fu. It is a popular tourist attraction.

Guan Xiu: He was a Buddhist monk. master painter, calligrapher and poet who lived in Chengdu around 891 A.D. Legend has it that he painted the first portraits of the eighteen Lohans. The Lohans were so impressed by his skill as a painter, they appeared to him in a dream and appealed to him to create their images. The traditional order of the Lohans is based on the order they appeared to Guan Xiu, not on the strength of their power. They are as follows: Deer Sitting, Happy, Raised Bowl, Raised Pagoda, Meditating, Oversea, Elephant Riding, Laughing Lion, Open Heart, Raised Hand, Thinking, Scratched Ear, Calico Bag, Plantain, Long Eyebrow, Doorman, Taming Dragon and Taming Tiger.

Food:

Sichuan province is well known all over the world for its flavorful and spicy cuisine. Chilies are used in many dishes. The locals say that chilies are beneficial for cooling you down in the summer and keep you warm in the winter. They are also said to protect against illnesses that come from living in a damp climate. Famous dishes include Grandma Chen's Bean Curd (Chen Mapo Dofu) with minced meat, chili oil and wild pepper sauce, Chengdu Hot Pot, and Carrying Pole Noodles.

Sights to See:

Sichuan Opera: Sichuan Opera, or Chuan Ju, originated at the end of the Ming and the beginning of the Qing Dynasties. “Face changing” is the highlight of Sichuan Opera. It is said that ancient people painted their faces to drive away wild animals. Sichuan Opera absorbs this ancient skill and perfects it into an art. Performers shift from one elaborate mask to another, sometimes in the space of only a few seconds! Some masks are painted on pieces of damask and then lightly pasted to the face one by one. They are held in place by a thin, almost invisible silk thread. With a flick of his cloak, a performer can shift from one mask to another by pulling away the threads. His face seems to magically change before the audience’s eyes. An actor uses different masks to show various emotions, expressing invisible and intangible feelings through visible and tangible masks. From green to blue, red, yellow, brown, black, dark and gold, these masks show fear, tension, relaxation, slyness, desperation, outrage, and so on.

Sichuan Opera features vivid, humorous narration, singing and acrobatics. It is noted for its high-pitched tunes, accompanied only by percussion instruments and choruses, without wind or stringed instruments. Most Sichuan Opera repertoires are adapted from Chinese classical novels, mythologies, legends and folk tales.

Here is an article about a famous performer of Sichuan Opera: Man of a Thousand Faces

Leshan Buddha: Also called Dà Fó, it is the tallest stone Buddha statue in the world. The giant sculpture is carved out of a cliff face and lies at the confluence of the Minjiang, Dadu and Quingyi rivers in southern Sichuan, near the city of Leshan. Dà Fó faces Mount Emei and has two rivers flowing below his feet.

The seventy-one-meter-tall statue depicts a seated Maitreya Buddha with his hands resting on his knees. One reasong for the local saying, "The mountain is a Buddha and the Buddha is a mountain," is that the mountain range is thought to be shaped like sleeping Buddha when viewed from the river, with the Leshan Buddha at its heart.

A Chinese monk named Haitong initiated construction in 713 with the hope that the Buddha would calm the treacherous waters for cargo boats travelling down river. When funding was threatened, he is said to have gouged out his eyes to show his piety and sincerity. His disciple completed the construction ninety years later. So much of the stone removed from the cliff face was deposited in the river below that the waters were made safe for passing ships.

Jinsha Village and the Sanxingdui Culture: In 1929, three farmers were digging a pit to install a waterwheel and found a heap of colorful jade. But it was more than a few pieces of jade they uncovered. They had discovered a lost civilization, the site of the Shu Kingdom City, one of the five major cities in ancient China. Subsequent archaeological finds shed light on the history and culture of the ancient Shu Kingdom. Follow this link to learn more about the prehistoric civilization that inhabited the area around Chengdu: Precious Relics in Jinsha Ruins

Panda Research Center: Located outside of Chengdu is the Panda Research Center, where scientists struggle to save the Giant Panda, beloved animal of China, from extinction. There, they hope to breed enough pandas in captivity to ensure the survival of the species. In the mountains about 150 km from Chengdu, live some of the last wild giant pandas left on earth.

Resources:

Wikipedia on Chengdu

Chengdu

Guan Xi and the Lohans

Chengdu Cuisine

Photos from Wikipedia Commons, used under the Creative Commons License.

City-builders: Shibori Murasaka
Jia Li Shen Chi