Chengdu:
Xian has its Terracotta Warriors; Chengdu has its pandas. Of course, each city offers much more, but a visit to Chengdu without a stop at its Panda Breeding Research Center would be almost criminal. Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan, perhaps the Westerners' best-known provinces of China, largely because of its fiery regional cuisine.
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The city dates back over 3,000 years and has matured into a mellow (hot cuisine aside!), charming urban center whose pace and energy is quite different from that found in Beijing and Shanghai. One of Chengdu's "firsts" is paper money; it's here where its use first became commonplace, around AD 960.
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With over 3 million residents - almost 10 million in the metropolitan area - Chengdu is a big city with its share of shopping malls, high-rises...and traffic jams. Still, just a step around a corner often opens to a lush, serene park with the almost obligatory teahouse. The city's official tree is the Gingko; its official flower is the Hibiscus. You'll see plenty of both during your stay here.
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Major Attractions of Chengdu include:
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- Panda Breeding Research Center: Despite efforts to protect them, Pandas remain endangered, their numbers hovering around an estimated 1,600 in the wild. Their chief threat is not poaching ¨C now punishable by life imprisonment or public execution ¨C but loss of habitat. Bamboo forests, the source of 95% of a panda's diet, are diminishing. In the wild, pandas are reclusive and a sighting is rare, but here at the center, you're guaranteed a look at them as they munch a meal. And your Let's Travel China tour takes you here in the morning, during feeding time when the pandas are most active.
- Du Fu's Thatched Cottage: During the Tang Dynasty, art, literature and music flourished. Of special note were the Tang Dynasty Poets, who were revered then, as they are today. One of the most famous, Du Fu, lived in Chengdu for five years. His home, a simple thatched cottage, is a well-visited attraction in town.
- Chengdu Teahouses: Even in China - a nation of serious tea drinkers - Chengdu's teahouses are acclaimed. The city has thousands of them. Once the province of men conducting informal business gatherings, Chengdu's teahouses now cater to just about everyone, and run the gamut from almost impossibly small hideouts to elaborate, parkside settings with Chinese opera performances.
Featured Hotels - Essential & Adventure Series Tours: (subject to change)
- Tibet Hotel
No. 10 North Renmin Road
Jinniu District
Chengdu, 610081 China
Tel: (86) (28) 8318 3388
Fax: (86) (28) 8318 5678
4/5-Star - 285 rooms
Situated near Tibet in the foothills of the Himalayans, Chengdu is often called the "Gateway to Tibet." Therefore it's fitting that this hotel exhibits the culture of Tibet in its decor and ambiance (its exterior takes its design cues from Lhasa's famous Potala Palace). It's downtown location beside the Jinjiang River is well-suited for travelers and the full-service hotel provides a long list of amenities and facilities, including a fitness center, shopping arcade and even a bowling alley!
For a link to the Tibet Hotel - Chengdu site click here.
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Celebrity Ruicheng Chengdu (former Samsara Hotel)
No. 68, Section 2, Renmin Middle Road
Chengdu, 610061 China
Tel: (86) (28) 6676 8888
Fax: (86) (28) 6676 8777
4-Star - 330 rooms
The facilities in this modern, in-city hotel include a business center, sauna, and rooms equipped with broadband Internet access.
For a link to a Ruicheng Celebrity Hotel site click here.
Featured Hotel - Luxury Series Tours: (subject to change)
- Shangri-La Hotel, Chengdu
No. 9 Binjiang East Road
Chengdu, 610021 China
Tel: (86) (28) 8888 9999
Fax: (86) (28) 8888 6666
6-Star - 593 rooms
The hotel is at the city's center with views of the Jinjiang River, overlooking the beautiful Hejiang Pavilion with garden landscapes. Shopping areas are a short taxi-ride away. The Shuangliu Int'l Airport is a 25-minute drive.
For a link to the Shangri-La Hotel - Chengdu site click here.
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Chengdu
is featured
on the following tours: |
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| Giant
Pandas–
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...Did
you know?
Giant
pandas are an endangered species, threatened by continued habitat
loss and by a very low birthrate, both in the wild and in captivity.
Poaching is uncommon; killing a panda was punishable in China by
death until a 1997 law changed the penalty to 20 years imprisonment.
Source: wikipedia.org
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Red Pandas at Chengdu:
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"The unexpected highlight was seeing the Red Panda, which is much smaller. It is more the size of a racoon, with a similar face, but without the ridge-back, and with a much nicer disposition. They were out having a good time, playing and eating and were quite entertaining and photogenic."
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-R. Shea. Let's Travel China Tour Participant
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