Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan Province, one of the first centers of printing in China, and has been famous for its luxurious satins, brocades, and lacquer ware since the 13th century.

Chengdu is also home to the Chengdu Giant Panda Research Base (Chengdu Panda Breeding Area), one of the most important centers in the world for the captive conservation of the Giant Panda. There are series of historic and natural sceneries around there.

UNESCO World Heritage: Jiuzhai Valley

Listed as one of the greatest natural legacies in the world by the UN, Jiuzhai Valley is located in the Nanping county of Aba province which lies 450 kilomiles away from Chengdu. With the total area of over 72,000 hectares, it is named as JiuZhaigou because there were 9 "Zang" (a Chinese clan) stockaded villages. The tourist spot is divided into 5 scenic areas including Baojing Rock, Shuzheng, Rizi, Jian Rock, ChangSea and ZhaYu. Most of the spots are found within the 3main Y-shaped gaps. Besides, there are more than 100 highland lakes scattered like a terraced field. The turquoise water is clear and fresh. In particular, Jiuzhaigou's KeSiTe image, the magnificent waterfall and fountain are attractive sites that Jiuzhaigou is described as "kingdom of fairy tale".

UNESCO World Heritage: Leshan Giant Buddha and Emei Mountain

Emei Mountain is 156 kilometers far from south of Chengdu city. The principal peak---Golden Summit soars mightily into the clouds. In the mountain, ones look over the snowy peaks in the west, eastern luxuriant plains, seems majestic and astonishing. It is blessed with clouds Sea, Sunrise, Buddha Rays, Saint Lamps -- these four great spectacles. Further, the site also contains 30 or so temples which elegantly express the 2000 years of cultural history abounding in the region. In 1996, it was ranked in "the World Cultural & Natural Heritage" by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization).

Leshanlies about 167km south of Chengdu and is renowned for its Giant Buddha, the colossal stoene statue of Maitreya, which stands on the bank of the River Minjiang. Started in 713 AD, by the Buddhist monk Haitong who organized fund raising and hired workers; it took ninety years to complete. He hoped that the presence of the Giant Buddha image would protect the boatmen who traversed the treacherous river by pacifying the swift currents. A building was built to protect the statue, but was destroyed during a Ming Dynasty war. The Buddha is 234 feet high, with shoulders that are 92 feet wide; the head is 48 feet high, while each of the ears is 23 feet long.

UNESCO World Heritage: DuJiangYan (Barrier Lake) and Qingcheng Mountain

DuJiangYan Irrigation System, Known as a "field Museum of lrrigation Works" which was listed as world heritage by US Education scientific and cultural Organization in 2000, lies in the west of Chengdu, about one hour drive. During the Warring States Period in 256 BC, the governor of the Shu Prefecture Li Bing and his son led the people to build the large water conservancy works to control flooding on the Chengdu plains. Up to now, 2,250 years have passed, and the works still play a significant role in agriculture on the Chengdu plains. Qingcheng Mountain, one of the birthplaces of Taoism, a place of an integration of the religious culture and natural scenery.

SanXingDui Ancient City

Brilliant SanXingDui, the ruins of the capital of the ancient Shu for a Kingdom over 4.000 years ago, is located in GuanghanCity, 39 km apart from Chengdu. Among the relics excavated, six pieces are evaluated as national treasures. The ancient casting art of bronze was found to be on a par with that unearthed in Terra-Cotta warriors and Horses pit of Qin shihuang Mausoleum. The site was ranked by the State Council of PRC among the Top National Culture-Preservatory Bases in January 1988.

Chengdu Panda Breeding Area

The area is an outdoor breeding where pandas of all ages, as well as black neck cranes, white cranes, etc are bred. They enjoy the peaceful ecological environment tailor-made for them.

Other Attractions in Downtown Chengdu

Du Fu Thatched Hut. Old Chengdu lifestyle of leisure and idleness feeds off the poems written here by the well-traveled Tang master Du Fu, who retreated to the town in 759 B.C. to escape the wars in the central regions, and the poverty that continued to dog him. At the popular park and tourist site called Dufu’s hut (Dufu Cao Tang), he built his fabled "chairmen", literally made of brushwood, and often translated as " my humble abode." The hut is long gone, but the site has been maintained as a shrine since the Song, and in the last few hundred years has gradually accumulated memorial inscriptions of emperors and scholars trying to link their names to Dufu’s legend.

Wu Hou Temple. Everyone in Chengdu tells visitors to hit the Wu Hou Ci (Marquis Wu Shrine), a monument to heroes from the Three Kingdoms period who brought honor to the region traditionally known as the Shu (Syoku) kingdom. Wu Hou is a reference to the mysterious military strategist Zhu Geliang (Syo katsu koumei), alias Great Brightness, who was talked out of a life of Taoist quietude to advise the hero Liu Bei (Ryuu bi) in his attempt to unite China. Liu Bei’s grave mound is also here, where he died in 223 BC, two years after taking up the reins as emperor of the allied kingdoms of Wu and Shu in Chengdu.