Chengdu Travel

Chengdu Travel
Chengdu MapChengdu is the capital of "Heavenly State" (Tian Fu Zhi Guo), habitat of giant pandas and city of cotton-rose hibiscus.

Located in the west of Sichuan Basin and in the center of Chengdu Plain, Chengdu 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 "Tian Fu Zhi Guo", 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 forty 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.
Public Transportation

By Taxi

Chengdu has created hundreds of new taxi stands in its streets. The stands are approximately two meters (78.7 feet) high, with a green ginkgo leaf shaped board on a blue Y-shaped support.

By Bus

Chengdu’s public bus services extend in all directions. You can get to most of places, especially sights inside the city, by bus.

What to Buy

Shu Brocade and Embroidery

The Chinese character Shu means silkworm breeding and mulberry growing. As early as the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Shu brocade was exported overseas to Japan and as far as Persia and in the period of the Three Kingdoms (220-280). It was a financial resource for the military. Shu Brocade features various colors and a unique technique for extracting colors from plants. Several hundred designs are used by the minority nationalities in southwest China. Silk-woven, but durable, the brocade has a soft feel.

As the other local craft from silkworm breeding and mulberry growing, Shu Embroidery has enjoyed a reputation for superb craftsmanship. With a unique technique and elegant colors, the products look like Chinese ink and wash paintings embroidered on satins. One masterpiece in the Great Hall of the People is called the Cottonrose Hibiscus and the Carp. Functional as well as artistic, Shu embroidery appears on quilts covers, pillow cases, clothes, shoes etc.

Chengdu’s shopping centers converge at Chunxi Road, Zongfu Road and Luomashi Area. Here you can shop for a huge range of wares, with everything from souvenirs and street stall items to supermarket and department stores goods on offer.

Shopping malls, department stores, supermarkets and especially small stands are widely scattered in the areas around Chunxi Road offering products ranging from souvenirs to living and travelling necessities. The following list may help you to have a pleasant shopping experience in Chengdu.
What to eat
Gothamist has dined in all kinds of joints in Flushing’s Chinatown – killer Cantonese, top-flight dim sum and lamb-laden Northern Chinese. The area we haven’t explored much is the food courts, mazes of stalls so diverse that Tony Bourdain could easily cull material for an episode or two. It’s not that we are squeamish, it’s just that the signs are all in Chinese and many of the proprietors speak little English. A non-Chinese speaker would need a Rosetta Stone of sorts.
Where to stay
Sheraton Lido was a good stop in Chengdu. Centrally located. It was nicer than average USA Sheraton. Rooms were large with excellent amenities. Big bathroom, comfortable beds, good lighting & lightning fast shoe shining service. We were on the Club Floor and the club lounge was lovely & morning breakfast was large & excellent.

Club Lounge also had a computer w/internet…but only one, so you had to find a time it was empty (a bigger business center was downstairs). Hotel is huge and caters to loads of groups & tourists, but we felt quiet and comfortable on Club Floor and in Club Lounge. Service was excellent.