| |
Chengdu is the capital of "Heavenly State" (Tian Fu Zhi Guo), habitat of giant pandas and city of cotton-rose hibiscus.
Located in the west of Sichuan Basin and in the center of Chengdu Plain, Chengdu 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 "Tian Fu Zhi Guo", 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 forty 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.
The history of Chengdu can be traced back 2,400 when the first emperor built his capital here and named the city. Through thousands of years its original name has been kept and its position as the capital and as the significant center of politics, commerce and military of the Sichuan area (once called Shu) has remained unchanged. Since the Han (206B.C.-220) and Tang (618-907) Dynasties when its handicraft industry flourished, Chengdu has been famous for its brocades and embroideries. Shu embroideries still enjoy a high reputation for their bright colors and delicate designs, ranking among the four main embroideries in China. Chengdu was the place where the bronze culture, an indispensable part of ancient Chinese culture, originated, the place where the Southern Silk Road started, and the place where the earliest paper currency, Jiaozi (not the dumpling!), was first printed. It is listed among the first 24 state-approved historical and cultural cities and owns 23 state and provincial cultural relic units.
Sichuan Cuisine
Sichuan cuisine has developed over the centuries. Its distinctive flavors entice people throughout China and recently in foreign countries.
Sichuan cuisine is famous for piquancy, but its flavoring is complex as well as hot. Typical dishes include the following:
Ma Po Tofu (Bean curd with mince and chili oil): one of the most influential flavors of Sichuan cuisine, served in every Sichuan restaurant. Chen Ma Po's Bean Curd Restaurant at No. 197, West Yulong Street serves the most delicious and local one. For hundreds of years, Ma Po's Bean Curd has been popular among people all over China, even throughout the world.
Kung Pao Chicken (Spicy diced chicken with peanuts): a specialty of Sichuan cuisine, diced chicken, hot pepper and peanuts.
Fish Flavored Shredded Pork: fish-flavored dish in the unique style of Sichuan cuisine. Ingredients include shredded pork, agarics, bamboo shoot and carrot. The delicious dish has no fish but has the flavor of fish.
Twice Cooked Spicy Pork Slices: A traditional Sichuan dish. The tasty pork slices are fried crisp without greasiness.
Famous Sichuan Restaurants:
Piaoxue Sichuan Cuisine Restaurant: No. 10, Qintai Road
Shizilou Restaurant: No. 55, Shuanglin Road
Baguo Biyi: No. 20, Fourth Section, Renmin South Road
Hotpot
When people think of Chengdu, they immediately think of hotpot. Introduced from Chongqing, Chengdu hotpot has its own style ranging from simple spicy to moderate, three or four kinds of spices, as well as fish head hotpot, medical herbs hotpot, etc.
Huangcheng Laoma Restaurant: an old-fashioned hot pot restaurant, regarded as No. 1 among Chengdu hotpot restaurants. It is situated at No. 20, Qintai Road, Qingyang District, Chengu. A worthy representative of Sichuan culture and diet, Huangcheng Laoma offers hotpot, plus stunning entertainment -- a Changing Face opera performance/shadow play.
Shizilou Restaurant: another old-fashioned hotpot restaurant, offers hotpots with half spicy and half light soup. It has several branches in Chengdu, one located at No. 2, Wannianchang Road, Chenghua District.
Tanyutou Restaurant: near Qingyang Palace at No. 227, Qingyang Zhengjie, Qingyang District, branches all over the country. Its delicious specialty, fish head, differs from that of other restaurants.
Snacks
Hidden in the streets and lanes of Chengdu, snack bars still send out savory flavors.
The most renowned snacks include:
Fu Qi Fei Pian (Braised Cow Lungs): Actually beef, heart and tongue take the place of lungs. This tasty dish is made with particular condiments using a delicate process.
Specializing in this dish, Jingcheng Yuan Restaurant is located at No. 23, Zongfu Road, center of Chengdu.
Chuan Chuan Xiang: also called Ma La Tang, vegetables, sausages, shrimps and anything edible can be threaded onto a bamboo stick and cooked in the hot pot.
Lai Tang Yuan (Lai's Glutinous Rice Ball): the nutritious glutinous rice ball made by Lai (Surname of the maker) is soft and sweet.
Long Chao Shou (Long Wonton): with thin skin and tender stuffing, the savory snack is popular among locals and tourists. There are several branches in Chengdu:
Chunxi Road Branch: No. 8, South Section of Chunxi Road, Jinjiang District
Huanhua Branch: No. 9-3, Huahua North Road, Qingyang District
Zhixin Branch: No. 1-14, Zhixin North Street, Wuhou District
By Air
Chengdu Shuangliu Airport is the forth-largest airport in China. There are more than 60 scheduled flights to the major cities in China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Qingdao, Nanjing, Hanzhou, Zhangjiajie (in Hunan Province), Xi'an, Lanzhou, Urumqi, Lhasa, Chamdo, Xiamen, Guilin, Kunming, Haikou. The international and interregional flights include those to Hong Kong and Bangkok. The Airport is 20 km from the city center, around 35 minutes' drive. It costs 8-10 Yuan to take the shuttle buses which leave every 15 minutes. Tourists can take the buses in front of the Civil Aviation Mansion (on Southern Renmin Street). The shuttle buses do not stop on the way, but tourists from the airport can ask to get off near Tiaoshanta, and take No. 34 bus to get to the Western Bus station or the Northern Railway Station. It takes about 40 Yuan to go from the International Airport to the Western Bus Station by taxi. Tourists who want to get to the Xinnanmen Bus Station can take the shuttle bus first and get off at Minshan Hotel, and then walk along Minjiang road before getting to the bus station (it takes about 5 Yuan to get to the bus station by taxi from the hotel). Tourists can get to Wuguiqiao Bus Station by No. 303 bus. .
Railway
Chengdu is the most important transport hub in southwestern China. There are trains running between Chengdu and the major cities of China, such as Beijing, Xi'an, Kunming, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Urumqi, Shanghai, Lanzhou.
City Transportation
It costs 1 Yuan for common buses and 2 Yuan for air-conditioned buses in Chengdu. Tourists can get to most of the scenic spots in the city by bus.
Taxi
The starting price is 5 Yuan (for the first 1 km) andit it's then 1.4 Yuan for every additional km. A 50% return charge is required when the distance exceeds 7 km.
Coach
Chengdu is also the largest hub of highway transport in southwestern China. Six national highways join in Chengdu: national highway 108 (Sichaun-Shanxi highway, Sichuan-Yunnan highway), national highway 213 (Sichuan-Gansu, Chengdu-Kunming Highway), 317 (the northern Sichuan-Tibet Highway), 318 (Sichuan-Wuhan, Hubei Province, Sichuan-Tibet highway), 319 (Chengdu-Chongqing), and 321 (Sichuan-Guizhou). There are long distance buses running between Chengdu and many tourist scenic spots, such as Jiuzhaigou-Huanglong (Jiuzhaigou is located in Nanping County of northwestern Sichuan; and Huanglong in Songpan County, about 100 km from Jiuzhaigou), Daocheng County (in southwestern Sichuan), Emei Mountain (in Emei City, which is in southwestern Sichuan), Leshan Giant Buddha (in Leshan City), Kangding (located in the western plateau of Sichaun where many Tibetan people live), Dujiangyan Irrigation Project (in western Chengdu Plain, 56 km from Chengdu) , Ziyang City (in central Sichuan).
Pedicabs
The price is similar to that for taxies, sometimes even more expensive. Generally the starting price is 5 Yuan
From the cheap and dingy to the deliciously plush and all in between, Chengdu has it all. Surprisingly enough, it's not too hard to find rooms in relatively luxurious hotels for very reasonable prices.
Many of the city's hotels are located on or around the North-south axis that is Renmin Lu. Getting around the city is fairly inexpensive so make a choice based on hotel facilities or price without worrying too much about transportation costs.
There are also a number of hostels scattered about town that offer bargain prices for those on tight budgets. Not all hotels are certified to receive foreign guests, so don't be offended if you are rejected without explanation.
|
|
|
