Giant Panda Hometown

As a key traffic hinge in southwest China, hometown of the giant panda & delicious spicy food; the provincial capital city Chengdu is an easy place to enter Sichuan & neighbouring Tibet.

An often quoted Chinese saying is, “Once you come to Chengdu, you will not want to leave”. This can be attributed a lot to the enviable, relaxed lifestyle enjoyed by locals and foreigners in a recreational and unhurried tourist city, surrounded by many rivers such as the Funan and the Sha. Famous scenic spots such as Wuhou Temple and Du Fu Thatched Cottage enrich the cultural background of Chengdu. Not far away, Qingcheng Mountain and Snowy Mount Xiling act as summer resorts for the urbanites. World mixed cultural and natural sites, such as Jiuzhaigou Gullies, Leshan and Mount Emei, have been acknowledged by UNESCO as being of great heritage value and significance in relating miracles of the native people’s past and present.

Lying in the central part of Sichuan Province, Chengdu is located near the edge of the west of Sichuan basin, with sloping terrain from northwest to southeast. The deep mounds and mountains are the dominating terrain in the west, with an altitude mostly between one thousand to three thousand metres. The altitude of Shuanghe village in Dayi County is as high as five thousand three hundred and sixty four metres. Its relative altitude is about one thousand metres above sea level. Its east is the heart of Chengdu Plain, which is mainly made up of flat lands and some low hills, with an altitude generally of about seven hundred and fifty metres. The lowermost place, Yuntai Village of Jintang County has an altitude of only three hundred and eighty seven metres.

Since moist subtropical Chengdu is located in a basin, high mountains can be seen just outside of the Chengdu Plain. There are lots of high mountains such as Qingcheng and Snowy Mountain Xiling, with many undeveloped primitive jungles. An interesting phenomenon presents itself here in that high mountains are less than 100 kilometres away from large cities. It has changed the common perception that high mountains and primitive jungle would be restricted to wild and uninhabited areas. The climate is warm, with plentiful rainfall and a clear distinction between the four seasons. The hottest weather is during July and August with monthly average temperatures between 25 and 35 degrees celsius. January is coldest with an average temperature of 5.6 degrees.

Text & pictures submitted by Warren Rodwell
http://www.chinaexpat.com/city/chengdu-city