Just some fun facts about Sichuan and the city of Chengdu.
*Sichuan (Four Rivers) is a rich and beautiful place and it is known as the "Land of Abundance".
*With an area of 570,000 square kilometers, Sichuan is the biggest province in China (not including the autonomous regions) and is the province with the largest population.
*Chengdu has a population of about 10 million people.
*Chengdu has been inhabited for almost 5000 years, all the way back to China's Bronze Age.
*Within Chengdu City, there are the usual temples, attractions etc; however, its the great food and the Panda’s everyone comes to see.
*Street vendors sell pieces of meat and vegetables on skewers, which they let you fry in a large wok filled with hot pepper oil. It's a tasty midday snack.
Be careful here, you will see dog on the menu. It's easy enough to avoid dog restaurants - you'll see the carcasses hanging in the front windows. (We won't tell LadyJane about this)
* The Giant Panda Breeding and Research Center in the northern part of the city.
*The Provincial Museum and the Sanxingdui Museum are worth visiting for their amazing Shu/Ba bronze humanoid figures.
*One of the nicest spots in Chengdu China is a large bamboo park around the thatched cottage of Du Fu (AD 712-770), a poet. He and Li Bo were the most celebrated of the poets of the Tang dynasty. Du Fu was more of an traditionalist, where as Li Bo, often wrote poetry while drunk. (is said Li died when, drinking one night onboard a boat, he tried to embrace his own moonlit reflection in the water and drowned.)
* Nearby (25 mi/40 km) is the Wolong Panda and Nature Preserve, home to golden monkeys, golden langurs and more than 500 pandas.
**And the best thing in Chengdu City in the Sichuan Province of China is of course that our Macie BeiBei is there waiting for us!!!!!