Chengdu
Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, is celebrated for being the home of the lovely pandas. Because it is located in the western part of the Sichuan Basin, with rich products and developed agriculture, it has enjoyed the reputation of “Tian Fu Zhi Guo (the Kingdom of Heaven)”.
Meanwhile, as the birthplace of the civilization, Chengdu has Dujiangyan, Wenshu Temple and so many historical sites.
Ancient and modern, tradition and innovation, perfectly integrated into the city of Chengdu.
Wen Shu Temple
The Wenshu Monastery was built in the Sui Dynasty (605-617). After the Tang, Song, and Yuan Dynasties, it was destroyed by the war in the late Ming Dynasty. It was called the Xinxiang Temple in the past and was renamed Wenshu Monastery after being rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty (1697).
Wenshu Monastery, covering an area of more than 200,000 square meters, is located in the urban area of Chengdu. The temples are all wooden buildings, with a traditional central axis layout, magnificent and majestic. The temple consecrates more than 300 Buddha statues and collects a large number of calligraphy and painting treasures and many Buddhist cultural relics.
Qing Yang Gong
Qingyang Gong (Qingyang Palace), one of the famous Taoist temples in the country, known as “the first Taoist temple in western Sichuan”, was built in the Zhou Dynasty and destroyed by the war of the Ming Dynasty. Most of the existing buildings were rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty (from 1667 to 1671) covering an area of about 120,000 square meters.
This Taoist temple’s biggest attraction is the engraved edition of the Dao Zang Ji Yao (Abstract of Collected Taoist Scriptures), which was engraved in 1906 and is a total of more than 13,000 pieces, all carved from pear wood, is an extremely precious Taoist historical relic. Another famous is one bronze-green sheep in the Sanqing Hall, which is said to cure all diseases.
Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding
Located 10 km away from downtown, the Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding completely simulates the wild living environment of giant pandas with lakes, streams, bamboo forests, lawns, etc. so that they may have the best environment for rearing and breeding.
The best time to see pandas is in the morning because there is a feeding time between 9: 00-11: 00, pandas will sleep after eating, and another is that pandas are generally afraid of heat, so visiting must be early.
Renmin Park
Renmin Park, located in the city center, was built in 1911. As a leisure place for locals. What made Renmin Park unique is that you can find the real lifestyle of the Chengdu people. On sunny days, you will see lots of local people sitting under the green shade, drinking a cup of tea and chatting with some friends, or reading books, or playing Majiang with friends. Many seniors like to hold all kinds of activities in the park, like dancing, singing or playing chess.”Do as the Romans do”, you would have a wonderful time in this park.
Kuanzhai Alley (Wide and Narrow Alley)
Kuanzhai Alley is situated in the downtown of Chengdu and consists of wide alleys, narrow alleys, and well alleys arranged in parallel. Kuanzhai Alley is an antique courtyard of the large-scale dating back to the Qing dynasty.
Kuan Alley gathers the maximum and most complete old buildings in the whole block so be here to taste bowls of tea, eat real Sichuan cuisine, and experience the customs of old Chengdu; The narrow alley has both buildings from the late Qing Dynasty to the early Republic of China as well as early Western-style buildings, and it is an exquisite living taste area mainly based on Western-style food culture and artistic leisure; Jing Alley is a typical miniature of Chengdu, in addition to the fascinating brick culture wall, it also gathers Chengdu local snacks and folk custom gadgets, etc.
Other Sichuan’s Attractions
Trips and Tour Ideas in Sichuan
Yunnan and Sichuan: Pandas and Mountains
16 days | Yuanyang, Dali, Lijiang, Shangri-La, Chengdu, Leshan, and Emeishan
A stay on horseback between Yunnan and Sichuan along the Himalayan chain to discover the land of pandas, pepper and the big Buddha.
On the borders of Yunnan and Sichuan
17 days | Dali, Lijiang, Shangri-La, Ganzi, and Chengdu
Travel overland from Yunnan to Sichuan, crossing North Yunnan and West Sichuan, on the Tibetan plateau between Shangri-La and Tagong, crossing through the Yading reserve and the Tibetan areas of Litang or Danba.