Beautiful and fertile land------Chengdu
In Southwest China lies the vast expanse of the Chengdu Plain. The plain boasts a pleasant weather, beautiful scenery and flowers in four seasons. More than 2,500 years age, a king of the ancient Shu Kingdom established his capital in the center of the plain and named the capital Chengdu from "one year for gathering Two years for county Three years for capital". Since 310BC, Chengdu has been the political, economic and cultural center of the Sichuan Basin.
In the Eastern Han Dynasty(AD25-220),brocade was advanced in Chengdu and it got the name "city of hibiscus" as hibiscus was planted in the city walls.
A city with a long history and modern dynamic, Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan Province and an important central city in Southwest China. It has been designated by the State Council as Southwest China's center of science, technology, commerce, trade and finance and hub of transportation and telecommunications.
Chengdu has subtropical monsoon climate that is good for human settlements as well as conducive to agriculture and animal husbandry. Chengdu 's annual frost-free period is between 270 and 340 days, annual average rainfall is 997 millimetres , annual average temperature is around 15.5 degrees Centigrade and annual sunshine is between 1,100 and 1,400 hours. Its humidity is around 80 per cent.
Chengdu boasts fertile land. It has 490,000 hectares of arable land, 150,000 hectares of forests and nearly 40,000 hectares of usable grassland. It is China's famous production base for grain , oil and live pigs. Its farm products are sold well in different parts of China. Its per unit vegetable yield is twice as high as the national average. It has discovered 860 kinds of Chinese medical herbs and 672 kinds of usable, wild and domestically cultivated medicinal materials.
In the mountainous areas in the city's west are primitive forests that are the important habitat of the giant panda known as the "living fossil".
Chengdu has built 12 scenic spots, six forest parks and three natural reserves.
The most representative mountains in chengdu are Mount Qingcheng in Dujiangyan City and the Xiling Snow Mountain in Dayi County.
Sixty-six kilometers from Chengdu city proper,Mount Qingcheng has been on the list of the World Cultural Heritage together with the Dujiangyan Irrigation Project. Known as the "most tranquil place under heaven," Mount Qingcheng is green in four season s .Mount Qingcheng is the birthplace of Taoism. It has famous Taoist temples such as Jianfu and Tianshi Cave as well as natural wonders such as sunrise, the sea of clouds and sacred lights.
The Xiling Snow Mountain is a major scenic spot at the State level. With its summit being 5,364 metres , the mountain is 95 kilometres from Chengdu city proper. It has primitive forests , grotesque peaks and rocks , lovely giant pandas, rare birds and more than 30 running waterfalls. A natural skiing ground in the mountain, which is closest to an large city in South China, is popular with tourists.
Nineteen kilometers from Chengdu city proper is Longquanyi. It is a famous habit of the Hakkas and one of China"three honey peach bases. Each spring when peach flowers are in full blossom , people from far and near come to attend the peach flower festival.
Rivers and lakes crisscross Chengdu. The Nanhe River in Xinjin County is a famous sports ground on water and an amusement zone. The Huang long Stream in Shuangliu County is a famous, ancient town by a river and the site for the production of many films and television programmes. The Shixiang lake in Pujiang County is a new destination for people who love ecological tourism.
Chengdu is the passageway to many tourism destinations. To its west are Jiuzhaigou, Huanglong, Four Girl's Mountain, village of Qiang people , snow mountains and Greenland, to its north are the dangerous Qianmen pass and the Green Cloud Corridor with a length of 250 kilometres , to its south are Mount E'mei, one of China's four Buddhist mountains, and the Bamboo Sea in Southern Sichuan, to its southwest are the Hailuo Gully and the Lugu Lake. Chengdu is also the main passageway from China's interior to Tibet.

Chengdu Sightseeing Spots