Chengdu (成都)

Chengdu is the fancy capital of the Sichuan province in southwestern China. The city boasts wide boulevards, thriving markets and numerous food stalls and snack vendors.

There are many interesting places in Changdu, of which some are listed here:

Renmin Park, on the western side of town is an excellent place to relax and watch the world go by.
The huge Sichuan Museum is just across the Jin River.
Wuhou Shrine is sometimes referred to as the Temple of Marquis Wu. It was built around the year 300 and is dedicated to Zhuge Liang, who once ruled the Shu Han state.
Jinli (锦里) is not far from the Wuhou shrine. If features many restaurants housed in buildings that resemble traditional architecture.
More restaurants, café's and the like can be found in the area around Kuan Xiangzi and Zhai Xiangzi, also known as Kuanzhai Alleys. They date from the Qing dynasty. The area around them used to be home to Manchu soldiers and there are many historic buildings.
Dr. Sun Yat-sen Square at Chunxi Road is located in the center of Chengdu. Chunxi Road (春熙路) is a trendy commercial strip that dates from 1924. Nowadays it's a main shopping area and it is lined with malls, shops and boutiques.
The world's largest building in terms of floor area is the New Century Global Center. It is 100 m (330 ft) tall and measures 500 by 400 m (1,600 by 1,300 ft), giving it a floor area of nearly 2 million m² (18 million sq ft). It houses shops, movie theatres, offices, hotels, a water park with an artificial beach and a skating rink.
The Daci Temple is in the center of Chengdu. It dates from the Wei and Jin dynasties.
The Wenshu Monastery is the best preserved Buddhist temple in Chengdu. It was built during the Tang dynasty, around 700 AD.
Baoguang Monastery is in Xindu District. It is thought that is was built during the East Han period.
The Qingyang Taoist Temple is in the west of Chengdu. It is the largest and oldest temple in the city. It is home to the only remaining scriptures ofthe Taoist classic scripture of Daozang Jiyao.
About 5 km (3 mi) from Chengdu is the archaeological site of Jinsha, where ancient artifacts were found. There is a museum that displays the findings. They include the span class="b">Golden Sun Bird, which was excavated in 2001.
In the western outskirts of Chengdu is the Du Fu thatched cottage (杜甫草堂). Du Fu was one of the most famous poets of the Tang dynasty. He lived in the cottage four 4 years and during this time he wrote more than 240 poems there. It sits in Du Fu Cao Tang Park and many of the buildings date from the 16th century. They have all been extensively renovated.
Luodai Historic Town (洛带). When it was built, its name was 'Lost Belt' (落带), as according to legend, the Shu Han emperor Liu Shan dropped his jade belt into a well when he passed through town. The name is pronounced the same as its current name, albeit using a different character.

Around Changdu are also many places of interest, some of which are listed here:

Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries
Sanxingdui Museum is in the northeast of the protected Sanxingdui Site. The museum is 40 km (25 mi) north of Chengdu and focuses on the Ancient City of Chengdu, Shu State & its culture. The exhibition includes valuable relics, jade wares, bone objects, gold wares and bronzes that have been excavated from Shang dynasty sacrificial sites.
Huanglongxi Historic Town sits on the Jinjiang River about 40 km (25 mi) southeast of Chengdu. It is an ancient town that has preserved its Qing dynasty architectural style.
Anren Historic Town is 39 km (24 mi) west of Chengdu. The Qing dynasty warlord Liu Wencai had 27 mansions there, which have been preserved and turned into museums. Other museums in Anren have an enormous collection of relics and artifacts. There is also a museum to commemorate the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.
At Dujiangyan you can see an ancient irrigation system, a UNESCO world heritage site. It's the oldest existing irrigation system in the world and has prevented floods and droughts for over 2000 years.
Mount Qingcheng is amongst the most important Taoism sites in China. It is situated in the suburbs of Dujiangyan City and connected to downtown Chengdu 70 km (43 mi) away by the Cheng-Guan Expressway. Nearby Shangqing Temple has an phosphorescent glow in the evenings, which is locally referred to as 'holy lights'.
115 km south of Changdu is the sacred mountain of Emeishan. There are many temples there and next to the mountains is the world's largest Buddha statue, the Grand Buddha. The statue guards over the town of Leshan.

There is a wide variety of hotels, café's, bars, nightclubs and restaurants in Chengdu. The city is 1510 km southwest of Beijing.

Chengdu (成都)

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