SICHUAN

SICHUAN

Sichuan (Chinese: 四川; pinyin: Sìchuān; Postal map spelling: Szechwan and Szechuan) is a province in western China with its capital in Chengdu. The current name of the province, 四川 (Sìchuān), is an abbreviation of 四川路 (Sì Chuānlù), or "Four circuits of rivers", which is itself abbreviated from 川峡四路 (Chuānxiá Sìlù), or "Four circuits of rivers and gorges", named after the division of the existing circuit into four during the Northern Song Dynasty.

HISTORY

The province and its vicinity were the cradle of unique local civilizations, which can be dated back to at least the fifteenth century BC (coinciding with the later years of Shang Dynasty). Beginning from the ninth century BC, Shu (today Chengdu) and Ba (today Chongqing City) emerged as cultural and administrative centers where two rival kingdoms were established.

Shu's existence was unknown until an archaeological discovery in 1986 at a small village named Sanxingdui (三星堆 Sān Xīng Duī) in Guanghan County. It is believed to be an ancient city of the Shu Kingdom, where excavations have yielded invaluable archaeological information.

Although the Qin Dynasty destroyed the civilizations of Shu and Ba, their cultures were preserved and inherited by people in Sichuan until today. The Qin government accelerated the technological and agricultural advancements of Sichuan making it comparable to that of the Huang He (Yellow River) Valley. The Dujiangyan Irrigation System, built in the 3rd century BC under the inspection of Li Bing, was the symbol of modernization of that period. Composed of a series of dams, it redirected the flow of the Min Jiang, a major tributary of the Yangtze River, to fields, relieving the damage of seasonal floods. The construction and various other projects greatly increased the harvest of the area which thus became the main source of provisions and men for Qin's unification of China.

Various ores were abundant. Adding to its significance, the area was also on the trade route from the Huang He Valley to foreign countries of the southwest, especially India.

The area's military importance matches its commercial and agricultural significance. As a basin surrounded by the Himalayas to the west, the Qinling Range to the north, and mountainous areas of Yunnan to the south, Sichuan is prone to fog. Since the Yangtze flows through the basin and is thus upstream of eastern China, navies could be easily sailed downstream. Therefore Sichuan was the base for numerous amphibious military forces and also served as the refuge of Chinese governments throughout history. A few independent regimes were founded; the most famous was Shu Han of the Three Kingdoms. The Jin Dynasty first conquered Shu Han on its path of unification. During the Tang Dynasty, it was a battlefront against Tibet.

The Southern Song Dynasty established coordinated defenses against the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty in Sichuan and Xiangyang. The line of defense was finally broken through after the first use of firearms in history during the six-year siege of Xiangyang, which ended in 1273. In the 20th century, the foggy climate hindered the accuracy of Japanese bombing of the basin and the city of Chongqing, where the capital of the Republic of China had been relocated during World War II.

The Leshan Giant Buddha of Mount Emei, built during the latter half of the Tang Dynasty (618–907).

During the Ming Dynasty major architectural works were created in Sichuan. Bao'en Temple is a well-preserved fifteenth century monastery complex built between 1440 and 1446 during Emperor Yingzong's reign (1427-64) in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Dabei Hall enshrines a thousand-armed wooden image of Guanyin and Huayan Hall is a repository with a revolving sutra cabinet. The wall paintings, sculptures and other ornamental details are masterpieces of the Ming period.

A landslide dam on the Dadu River caused by an earthquake gave way on 10 June 1786. The resulting flood killed 100,000 people.

Sichuan's borders have remained relatively constant for the past 500 years. However, the western Tibetan regions were annexed to Sichuan in 1955. This further changed in 1997 when the city of Chongqing as well as the surrounding counties of Fuling and Wanxian were formed into the new Chongqing Municipality. The new municipality was formed to spearhead China's effort to develop its western provinces, as well as to coordinate the resettlement of residents from the reservoir areas of the Three Gorges Dam project.

On Monday, May 12, 2008 at 2:28:01 PM local time, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.9/8.0 hit just 90km northwest of the provincial capital of Chengdu. As of May 14, the official Xinhua news agency reported: 14,463 people were dead, another 14,051 were missing, 25,788 were buried in the debris and 64,746 had been injured,[4][5][6][7] [8] On May 31, the death toll was updated to 68,467 in Sichuan with a further ~17,000 people missing, and 354,045 injured.

LANGUAGES

Most dialects of the Chinese language spoken in Sichuan, including the Chengdu dialect of the provincial capital, belong to the southwestern subdivision of the Mandarin group, and are therefore very similar to the dialects of neighboring Yunnan and Guizhou provinces as well as Chongqing Municipality. Typical features shared by many southwestern Mandarin dialects include the merger of the retroflex consonants /tʂ tʂʰ ʂ/ into the alveolar consonants /ts tsʰ s/, the merger of /n/ and /l/, as well as the merger of /ɤŋ iɤŋ/ into /ən in/.

The prefectures of Garzê and Ngawa (Aba) in western Sichuan are populated predominantly by ethnic Tibetans, who speak the Kham and Amdo dialects of Tibetan. The Qiang and other related ethnicities speak the Qiangic languages, which are part of the Tibeto-Burman languages. The Yi of Liangshan prefecture in southern Sichuan speak the Yi language, which is more closely related to Burmese; Yi is written using the Yi script, a syllabary standardized in 1974.

SZECHUAN CUISINE

Szechuan cuisine, Szechwan cuisine, or Sichuan cuisine (Chinese: 四川菜 or 川菜) is a style of Chinese cuisine originating in Sichuan Province of southwestern China is famed for bold flavors, particularly the spiciness resulting from liberal use of chilis and "numb" or "tingling" flavor (Chinese: 麻) of the Sichuan peppercorn (花椒). Although the region Sichuan is now romanized as Sichuan, the cuisine is still sometimes spelled 'Szechuan' or 'Szechwan' in the West. There are many local variations of Sichuan cuisine within Sichuan Province and Chongqing Municipality (part of Sichuan until 1997.) The four best known regional sub-styles are Chongqing style, Chengdu style, Zigong style, and Buddhist vegetarian style.

Szechuan cuisine often contains food preserved through pickling, salting, drying and smoking, and is generally spicy. The Sichuan peppercorn is commonly used; it is an indigenous plant producing peppercorns with a fragrant, numbing, almost citrusy flavor. Also common are chili, ginger and other spicy herbs, plants and spices. Broad bean chili paste (simplified Chinese: 豆瓣酱; traditional Chinese: 豆瓣醬 or dòubànjiàng) is also a staple seasoning in Sichuan cuisine. The region's cuisine has also been the originator of several prominent seasoning mixes widely used in Chinese cuisine as a whole today, including yuxiang (魚香) and mala (麻辣).

Common preparation techniques in Szechuan cuisine include stir frying, steaming and braising, but a complete list would include more than 20 distinct techniques. Beef is somewhat more common in Szechuan cuisine than it is in other Chinese cuisines, perhaps due to the widespread use of oxen in the region.Stir-fried beef is often cooked until chewy, while steamed beef is sometimes coated with rice flour to produce a very rich gravy.

SICHUAN

CHENGDU

Chengdu (Chinese: 成都; pinyin: Chéngdū; Wade-Giles: Ch'eng-tu), located in southwest People's Republic of China, is the capital of Sichuan province and a sub-provincial city. Chengdu is also one of the most important economic centers and transportation and communication hubs in Southwestern China. According to the 2007 Public Appraisal for Best Chinese Cities for Investment, Chengdu was chosen as one of the top ten cities to invest in, out of a total of 280 urban centers.

More than four thousand years ago, the prehistorical Bronze Age culture of Jinsha (Chinese: 金沙; pinyin: Jīnshā) established itself in this region. The fertile Chengdu Plain, on which Chengdu is located, is called Tianfuzhi guo (simplified Chinese: 天府之国; pinyin: Tiānfǔzhi Guó) in Chinese, which literally means "the country of heaven", or more often seen translated as "the Land of Abundance". It was recently named China's 4th-most livable city by China Daily.

HISTORY OF CHENGDU

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With it's long history of over 2,300 years, Chengdu was proclaimed one of the 24 cultural and historical cities by the State Council at the first batch.

Early in the 4th century BC, Kaiming IX, king of ancient Shu, moved the capital from ?°Guangdu Fanxiang?± (now called Shuangliu) to Chengdu. "A town was built in this area in the first year and the capital in the second year?±, so the ancestor name the city as Chengdu, which means ?°became a capital?±in Chinese.

In 311 B.C, people of Qin Dynasty (221 BC-208 BC) built a protective wall around Chengdu city according to the construction standard practiced in Xianyang, capital of Qin Dynasty. Thus, the wall was erected with a height of 3.5 meters and a perimeter of 6 kilometers, marking the beginning of Chengdu City.

The Dujiangyan Irrigation System was constructed under the lead of Li Bing, prefect of Shu Prefecture. The Dujiangyan brings the vast Chengdu Plain under irrigation and protects it against droughts and floods for over 2000 years. Chengdu plain was turned into the Land of Abundance with temperate climate and fertile soil.

In Western Han Dynasty (206 BC- AD 23), brocades produced in Chengdu enjoyed good popularity in China. The government assigned Jinguan (an official in charge of brocade production) to administrate the brocade production in Chengdu and the Jinguan City was constructed. So Chengdu is also called Jinguan City or ?°Brocade City?±.

In the Five Kingdoms Period (907-960), Mengchang, king of the Latter Shu Kingdom, decreed to plant hibiscuses on the protective wall of the city, so Chengdu is also called the City of Hibiscus.

Through the history, Chengdu was a city densely covered by rivers and dotted with bridges, while trees grew in profusion and flowers bloomed all year around. No wonder that a traveler from France in the 19th century praised Chengdu as Oriental Paris. Over 2,000 years, Chengdu has remained a city of military importance in Southwest China on politics, economy and military affairs. Gongsun Shu, king of Western Han Dynasty, Liu Bei, emperor of the Three Kingdoms and Meng Zhixiang, King of the Latter Shu Kingdom all founded their capital in Chengdu. Later in the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368), the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), it remained the location of government for Sichuan province. Early in Ming Dynasty (1912-1949), it was the capital city of Sichuan province. On December 27, 1949, Chengdu was liberated and chosen as the location for the administration office for Sichuan province. Since 1952, when Sichuan resumed its status as an administrative province, Chengdu became capital.

Chengdu has also been a city with prosperous industry and booming business activities. In the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-206 BC) and the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD220), it was a well-known business center. In the Han Dynasty, it was one of the five best cities in China, the other four cities being Luoyang, Handan, Linzi and Wan. It ranked second, next only to Yangzhou in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), next only to the capital city, Bianjing. Early in Tang Dynasty and Song Dynasty, the commerce and trade in Chengdu had outgrown the traditional family workshops, gradually developing into a modern city of sophistication. Each month was devoted to different fair: January for lamps, February flowers, March silkworms, April embroideries, May fans, June incense, July jewel wares, August sweet-scented osmanthus trees, September wines, October plum trees, and December peach wood charms. Besides, in the downtown areas, the markets for after-supper shopping began to flourish. Even to this day, names of some old streets testify to that history, including names like Yanshi Street (street for salt trade), location of city council, and business Street, location of branch office of Communist Party of China in Sichuan. Paper money appeared and was first used in China, Chengdu being its birthplace. At that time, workshops for paper money making were located in Jingchong Temple to the north of Chengdu city (today known as Wan-fu Temple, Temple of Ten Thousand Buddhas). The paper money made here was the earliest paper money ever used, which played a significant role in promoting trade, financial transaction, and economic development.

Chengdu also has the longest history for gas exploration and utilization. Early in the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 23), natural gas was discovered and used in salt-refinery. Li Bing, Magistrate of Sichuan province then, built canals to lead rivers to flow before Chengdu city, greatly improving its transportation. Soon later, merchants set out from Chengdu to embark on the long journey for silk trade known as the Silk Road. Chengdu has been proud of its great contribution to the culture of China as well as the world.

With a long history, the education in Chengdu is well developed. Early in 141 B.C, Wen Weng built schools to promote education, which was the first attempt in China for public education. Till the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), the school had grown into a college with an enrollment totaling 1,000 members. This may explain why Sichuan has been the birthplace of so many talents with the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 23) and the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD25-220 BC) as its prime time. Chengdu was a leading city in paper making in the Sui Dynasty (581-618 ) and in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and he hemp paper made in Chengdu was officially prescribed for decree writing and the Central library of China at that time. Later, the wood block printing technology was another great contribution made by the Chinese people to the civilization of the whole world. Once again, Chengdu was among the first to introduce and adopt this technology. In the Song Dynasty (960 BC-1279 BC), Chengdu was one of the three printing centers, and its printing technology was honored as?° the most advanced in China.?±

Chengdu is also known for its handicrafts. From the Warring States (770 BC-476 BC) to the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), lacquer wares enjoyed a high popularity abroad. Hometown of the famous Shu brocade, Chengdu has been an important city for brocade weaving and the silk culture in China. In the Han Dynasty (220 BC- AD 206) and the Jin Dynasty (265-420), the colored silk from Sichuan was extremely popular in China. For a long period of time between the Six Kingdms and the Tang Dynasty (618-907), most of the silks exported to the Middle Asia were made in Chengdu. In 1909, the Shu colored silk won the first prize in the Southeast Asian Fair. In the Han Dynasty, the hemp cloth was the first-grade cloth, finding a ready market in countries as far as Afghanistan (known then as Daxia).

In the Tang Dynasty and the Song Dynasty, Sichuan Opera, with a large variety, dwarfed all other operas in China. Musical instrument was also famed. With a long history in making musical instruments, a family known as Lei amazed the world with their masterpiece. Also, wall paintings in Daci Temple (Temple of Great Mercy) were honored as ?°the Best Wall Painting in China.?±

Tea cooking and tea culture originated in Sichuan, China . And Xinjin, a town of Chengdu, was the first to begin tea trade. Even in poetry, the earliest description about tea drinking was found in Chengdu. In the Tang Dynasty and the Song Dynasty, Chengdu remained an important base for tea production, and it was also an important center for tea trade, either for retailing or in wholesale. Since the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), teahouses here gradually developed their own unique style which could be found today. Besides, Chengdu has the largest number of teahouses in the world.

Chengdu has been an open place gathering talented minds. In the Han Dynasty when Fu, a genre of literary creation, was extremely popular, there were four acknowledged masters in composing Fu, two of which were people of Chengdu, namely, Sima Xiangru and Yang Xiong. Later in the Tang Dynasty, Huan Quan and his son, Huan Juchai, were master painters. In the Song Dynasty, among the prestigious historians are two Chengdu people, namely Fan Zhen and Fan Zuyu.

Moreover, Chengdu was also the love of many personages, such as Zhuge Liang, an outstanding statesman, and other poets including Li Bai, Du Fu, Cen Shen, Xue Tao, Wei Zhuang, Lu You and Fang Cheng. Understandably, it was believed that Sichuan was of irresistible attraction to poets. Many other figures spent their schooling years in Chengdu, among which were Zhu De and Chen Yi, the great proletarian revolutionists, Guo Moruo, Ba Jin, Li Jieren, and Li Yimang, writers of modern China, and Zhou Taixuan, the scientist.

The city has been characterized in cultural traits by non-exclusiveness, absorptiveness, enterprising and openness. The coming of Kai Ming people into Sichuan brought with themselves the Jing and Chu culture. Soon later, the unification of China by the Qin Kingdom introduced another new culture, added later by a new wave of immigration of merchants from all other six kingdoms, bringing in knowledge of business management and industry. On the other hand, Wen Weng, a great advocator and patron of education then, sent many of his students to the capital city for study. Later in the Sui Dynasty, Yang Xiou, when designated to be governor of Sichuan, brought with him a group of master monks from China, thus making Sichuan an important center for Buddhist studies. Emperor Xuan Zhong and Emperor Xi Zhong of the Tang Dynasty made two imperial visits to Sichuan. Coming together with them were large groups of poets, painters, artists and talented minds of many other trades. In the Qing Dynasty, a large number of people from Hubei Province and Guangxi Province moved into Sichuan Province, which helped to promote the communication in economy, culture, and customs. By either assimilating or learning from other people and places, Chengdu gradually developed its own opera, namely Sichuan Opera, painting, Sichuan cuisine and snacks, all of which contributed to the formation of Chengdu culture. During the Eight-year Anti-Japanese War (1937-1945), many associations, societies and celebrities moved to Chengdu, added later by another 27 colleges and Universities, thus making Chengdu a cultural center at that time. Between 1945 and 1949, with the liberation in Southwest China, many cadres came to Sichuan from all over China. After the founding of the People?ˉs Republic of China in 1949, when three important railways were under construction in Southwest China, a large number of professionals and other technicians were transferred into Chengdu to offer help.

In all, over two thousand years, Chengdu has been constantly learning and absorbing the new and the advanced culturally and intellectually. This explains why Chengdu has remained prosperous politically, culturally and economically all through the history.

Chengdu is also a city of rebellious and revolutionary tradition. In history, it was the center of a couple of peasant?ˉs uprisings and revolutions. In the early Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), Wang Xiaobo and Li Shun, the rebel chiefs, started their uprising in Qingcheng City and soon later established their government in Chengdu. In the late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Zhang Xianzhong, rebel chief of the peasants uprising, also chose Chengdu as the capital city for his kingdom. In the Revolution of 1911, people in Chengdu launched an intensive campaign to protect the railways against government nationalization, and was followed by a wave of revolutions throughout Sichuan province. And it also pioneered another greater revolution in October 10, which was known to the Chinese people as the Wuchang Uprising, an important event in modern China. Mr. Sun Yat-Sen, Father of China?ˉs democratic revolution, spoke highly of Chengdu people in the revolution. After the May 4th Movement in 1919, Chengdu was among the first to send students to France for further study while working part time. Many revolutionary pioneers, including Wang Youmu, Zhao Shiyan, Wu Yuzhang, and Che Yaoxian, lived and worked in Chengdu. In December 1949, to liberate Chengdu, many soldiers sacrificed their lives to create a new world in this old city.

Chengdu has also been famous for its rich cultural heritages. Within its jurisdiction are Qionglai city, Chongzhou city and Pengzhou city, all of which are listed as Cities of Rich Cultural and Historical Heritage by the government of Sichuan province. In November 2000, Dujiangyan Irrigation System and Qingcheng Mountain (the Taoist Mountain) were ranked as Cities of the World Cultural Heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

LE’SHAN BUDDHA

A monk from the Tang Dynasty realized that the river could flood and many people could die, managed to raise money to build this huge statue to save people’s lives. The construction has lasted for 90 years. The tall statue looks calm, peaceful and majestic. It is regarded as a world record-breaking masterpiece and is also the biggest stone crafted statue in the world. It is noted by the UN as one of the greatest legacies of ancient culture and natural landacape.

CHENGDU PANDA BREEDING AND RESERCH CENTER

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 1000, of which 80% are distributed within the territory of Sichuan province. Therefore, when visitors from home and abroad come to Chengdu, Sichuan Province one of their main objectives will be to see the giant pandas for themselves.

Located just 10km (6miles) away from downtown Chengdu, the Chengdu Panda Breeding Research Center has been created and imitated the pandas' natural habitat in order that they might have the best possible environment for rearing and breeding. The Center cares also for other rare and endangered wild animals. The Research Center covers an area of 560 mus (92 acres), 96% of which is verdure. Giant pandas, lesser pandas, black-necked cranes, white storks as well as over 20 species of rare animals are fed and bred there throughout the year. Verdant bamboo, bright flowers, fresh air, a natural hill scene and a beautiful artificial view are merged ingeniously at the base.

Giant Pandas' daily life

The necessary facilities for giant pandas have been completed and include a fodder room, sleeping quarters and a medical station. Additionally there is a Giant Panda Museum together with research laboratories and a training center. A great number of plants and as many as ten thousand clumps of bamboos and bushes have been cultivated to provide for the giant pandas' diet and habitat. The center is planning to expand by another 3000 mus (500 acres) of land on which to simulate a natural environment order to prepare the giant pandas bred at the center for release into the wild.

The Giant Panda Museum was opened in 1993 to further scientific education and to improve public awareness of the protection of both wild creatures and their environment. This is the world's only thematic museum for rare and endangered animal species. The three main exhibitions are in the Giant Panda Hall, the Butterfly Hall and the Vertebrate Hall. The exhibits include all kinds of precious pictures, more than 800 materials and show more than 2140 different samples gathered in Sichuan. These include examples of animals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and insects as well as fossils and models. The resources held in store at the museum include up to ten thousand samples as well as a library of thousands of books and documents. This excellent and comprehensive museum provides a wonderful venue for all who are interested in seeing something of the propagation and protection of the region's natural bio-diversity.

SIM'S COZY GARDEN HOSTEL

Sim and Maki have built up a new “home away from home” for fellow backpackers. After having been travellers for many years and with 4 years' experience running Sim's Cozy Guesthouse, we think we understand more about backpackers' needs. The location and the facilities at Sim's Cozy Garden Hostel, not to mention our and our staff's warmth, show that we truly know something about being on the road.

From the main road in front of Sim's Cozy Garden Hostel, there are buses going directly to the Panda Breeding Center, Chengdu Railway Station, Chengdu Tourist Transport Center (XinNanMen Bus Terminal) and many other tourist sites in Chengdu.

On top of that: many banks (including Bank of China), a post office, hospitals, supermarkets and many local restaurants are within easy walking distance.

Sim could not create an atmosphere, which we call “Sim's Magic”, without a peaceful garden. This magic will help you to relax and enjoy your stay; many people stay longer than expected. We have all the facilities you wish to find in a guesthouse, and all of them are well designed.

Last but not least, the staff are always friendly and considerate to travellers. We always try our best to make your stay as comfortable as possible.

Sim's Cozy Garden Hostel --- 成都老沈青年旅舍
Tel:++86 (0)28 81979337, Fax:++86 (0)28 83355322

Address:No.211 North Section 4, First Ring Rd., Chengdu, Sichuan, China 610081
Address in Chinese:中国四川省成都市一环路北四段211号 邮编610081
Email: simscozygh@yahoo.co.jp