Travel

Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China

Chengdu, the capital of China's southwest Sichuan Province, is famed for being the home of cute giant pandas. Located in the west of Sichuan Basin and in the center of Chengdu Plain, the city 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 the Heavenly State, Tian Fu Zhi Guo in Chinese, 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 40 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.

 

Chengdu Weather

Chengdu weather is mild and humid all year round, featuring four clear-cut seasons – short and warm spring, long and sultry summer, cool and rainy autumn, and cold and foggy winter. The distinctive characteristics of Chengdu climate is fog and humidity. There are fewer hours of sunlight per day, and the summer is hotter and the winter is colder than the temperature shows.

August weather is hot and stuffy in Chengdu. The temperature is the same as in July with an average high temperature of 30°C (86°F). The heavy rains are concentrated in July and August, which may cause inconvenience for your trip. When it isn't raining, the city is usually cloudy, but the weather can be scorching on rare sunny days.

We recommend general summer clothes such as shorts, T-shirts and skirts for August. Sport sandals are a good choice for the summer climate in Chengdu in August. Besides, an umbrella or raincoat, sunglasses, sun cream, and sun hat are also necessary. Pack a thin coat for visiting the mountainous areas.

 

Chengdu Transportation

Air:

The transportation network in Chengdu is very developed. It has one of China’s busiest airports; it is the intersection point of five trunk railway lines; it is connected with thousands of miles of expressways and has dozens of coach stations sending passengers to various destinations. Within the city area, there are subways, city buses, taxis and many other transport conveniences for passengers to choose from.

Shuangliu International Airport (CTU), in the southwest of the city. Located about 16 kilometers (10 miles) from the city center, it is the largest aviation hub in central and western China, and aims to form the national aviation hub in mainland China. It has flights to more than 220 domestic cities and over 130 international cities. Frequent one-hour flights are available to Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province. Flights to Xining, capital of Qinghai Province, take about one and a half hours, with two-hour flights available to Lhasa, capital of Tibet. It is convenient to visit the Jiuzhaigou Scenic Spot by air, a 40-minute flight from CTU to Jiuhuang (Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong) Airport with one-way full fare of CNY 980, excluding departure tax and fuel surcharge. Visitors are advised to book flights early for this popular trip. Discounts may be available through hotels or travel agencies.

Chengdu Tianfu International Airport around 51.5 kilometers (32 miles) away from downtown Chengdu.  Now, passengers can fly to Chengdu Shuangliu Airport and then take airport shuttle bus and city bus to travel between the airport and downtown Chengdu.

 

Train:

As the largest railway hub in southwest China, the city has convenient railway transportation. At present, it has three railway stations for passenger transport: Chengdu Railway Station, namely North Railway station, East Railway Station, and South Railway Station. Another passenger railway station, west railway station is now under construction. When completed, the “two principals (north and east railway stations), two assistants (south and west railway stations)” setup of the city's rail transport will be formed and better service passengers.

 

Metro:

Currently, Chengdu metro line 1line 2line 3line 4line 5line 6line 7line 8line 9line 10line 17 and line 18 are in operation. Passengers can take line 1 from Weijianian to Science City via North Railway Station, Tianfu Square, Sichuan Gymnasium, South Railway Station, Jincheng Plaza and other places in the city. Line 2 can take travelers to Chadianzi Bus Station, People's ParkChunxi Road, East Railway Station, Institute of Public Administration and other areas. Line 3 runs between Taipingyuan and Military General Hospital, passing Chunxi Road, Chengdu Zoo, Xinnanmen Bus Station and Zhaojue Temple. Line 4 connects Xihe and Wansheng, passing some popular scenic areas like Wide and Narrow AlleySichuan Museum and Cultural Park. Linking Huagui Road and Huilong, metro line 5 totall has 41 stations stretching around 49 kilometers. Line 6 links Wanggongci and Lanjiagou, covering Southwest Jiaotong University and Renmin Road North. Line 7 passes South Railway Station, East Railway Station and North City Bus Station with the duration of 66 minutes. Line 8 travels between Lianhua and Shilidian. Line 9 connects Huangtianba and Financial City East via 13 stations. Chengdu metro line 10 links Taipingyuan and Xinping, passing Terminal 1 & Terminal 2 of Shuangliu International Airport. Line 17 links Jinxing and Jitouqiao, running in the northwest-southeast direction. Line 18 operates between South Railway Station and Tianfu Airport North, containg 9 stations. 
In addition, Line 13Line 19Line 27 and Line 30 will serve the public in the near future.

 

Things to do in Chengdu

 

Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, located just 10 km (6 miles) away from downtown, the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding has been created and imitated the natural habitat of giant pandas in order that they might have the best possible environment for rearing and breeding.

The giant pandas are not only a Chinese national treasure but are also beloved by people the world over. They are found only in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces. In total there are fewer than 2,000, of which 70% are distributed within the territory of Sichuan Province. Therefore, when visitors from home and abroad come to Chengdu, Sichuan, one of their main objectives will be to see this lovely animal for themselves.


Wuhou Temple (Wu Hou Shrine Temple of Marquis), is dedicated to Zhuge Liang, the Marquis Wu (Wuhou) of the Kingdom of Shu in the Three Kingdoms Period (220 - 280). Zhuge Liang was an excellent politician, militarist, diplomat and astronomer. In addition, the Temple of Liu Bei, the emperor of Shuhan, and his mausoleum are well-known historical sites inside this big scenic spot.
Wuhou Temple is located in the southwestern part of downtown Chengdu. The date of its establishment is unclear. We know only that it was built next to the Temple of Liu Bei. Consequently, the entrance plaque reads “Zhaolie Temple of Shuhan Kingdom”. Zhaolie is the posthumous title of Liu Bei. The current Wuhou Temple was rebuilt in 1672.

 

 

Jinli Street. Chengdu is a city brimming with a strong leisurely ambience with Jinli Street as the typical representative. The street is located to the east of the Wuhou Temple of Chengdu (the most famous Three Kingdoms period (220 - 280) relic museum in China).
It is recorded that as early as the Qin Dynasty (221 BC - 206 BC), Jinli Street was the most famous place for baldachin - a rich, ornate cloth. And it was one of the busiest commercial areas during the Shu Kingdom (221-263). Hence, it is known as 'First Street of the Shu Kingdom'. In order to reclaim its prosperity of former days, it was restored with contributions from the Wuhou Temple and was opened to public in October of 2004. Since then, visitors from all over China and abroad gather here to relax, admire the traditional-style buildings, and taste some local snacks.

 

Wide and Narrow Alley (Kuanzhai Xiangzi). The history of Wide and Narrow Alley can be dated back to the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911 AD). At that time, the area was a city within the Chengdu city called Mancheng City or Shaocheng City, where the court quartered troops. As time passed by, the city decayed and only the Wide Alley and Narrow Alley were left. In 2003, renovation work of the two alleys began, aiming to build a complex cultural and business street with the functions of tourism and recreation. On June 14, 2008, the newly renovated Wide, Narrow and Well Alley were opened to the public, located in nowadays Qingyang District, to the east of Tongren Road and west of Changshun Street. Nowadays, Wide and Narrow Alley is a popular entertainment and nightlife block as well as a famous tourism site, with lots of restaurants, pubs, teahouses, and stores selling featured souvenirs.

 

Dujiangyan Irrigation System, is honored as the 'Treasure of Sichuan', which still plays a crucial role in draining off floodwater, irrigating farms and providing water resources for more than 50 cities in the province.

In China, Chengdu is always praised as the Tian Fu Zhi Guo, which means 'Nature's Storehouse'. Over 2,200 years ago, the city was threatened by the frequent floods caused by flooding of the Minjiang River (a tributary of the Yangtze River

 

 

 

Sanxingdui Museum (Three-Star Piles Museum), Sanxingdui Museum (Three-Star Piles Museum) is located in Northeast of Three-Star Piles archeological site, west of the famous cultural city of Guanghan, on the bank of Jian River (commonly called Yazi River), 40 kilometers (about 24.9 miles) north of Chengdu City. Covering an exhibition area of 4,000 square meters (nearly 1 acre), and opened in October 1997 this is an archeological museum with excellent modern facilities. The cultural relics preserved here were mostly unearthed from the Three-Star Piles site.

Three-Star Piles site is a cultural relic of the ancient Shu (Sichuan). It is an important archeological discovery which changed the people's understanding of ancient history and culture. If you want to visit a place to know more about Chinese Shu (Sichuan) culture, make it this one, for the civilization shown by the cultural relics can be called a true wonder.

Three-Star Piles refer to three earth mounds at the site. The Relic area stretches for about 12 square kilometers (about 4.6 square miles), which is the largest, oldest, and most connotational Shu cultural relic in Sichuan. It is said that the Heavenly Emperor cast down three handfuls of earth which fell near the Jian River and became three earth mounds on Chengdu Plain. The three earth piles, described as three golden stars in a line, hence became known as Three-Star Piles. Now affirmed by modern archaeology, the three earth mounds are in reality the southern wall of an ancient city that was built of earth. There are two breaches in the city wall, after the collapse and subsequent erosion; it became the three mounds we see today.