TRAVEL CHENGDU
GENERAL INFORMATION-Chengdu is a popular tourist city in China. Most travelers come to Chengdu for the giant panda and the city’s old culture. Chengdu, in southwest China’s Sichuan province, adjoins Tibet to the west. Chengdu has been the ancestral homeland to giant pandas since ancient times. Chengdu deserves to be called “The Home of the Giant Panda” as it the metropolitan area nearest to the center of the panda’s natural habitat. Chendu is by air to-
Beijing =2.25hrs,
Shanghai =2.4hrs,
Shenzhen =2hrs,
Xian =1.20hrs,
Guilin =1.35hrs,
Kunming =1.20hrs.
GEOGRAPHY-Chengdu is located at the western edge of the Sichuan Basin and sits on the Chengdu Plain; the dominating terrain is plains. The western mountainous area is also home to a large primitive forest with abundant biological resources and a Giant Panda habitat.
CLIMATE-
MONTH JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC
HIGH 9 11 16 22 26 28 30 30 25 21 16 11
LOW 3 5 8 13 17 21 22 22 19 15 10 5
HIGH 9 11 16 22 26 28 30 30 25 21 16 11
LOW 3 5 8 13 17 21 22 22 19 15 10 5
AREA- 1620Km2
POPULATION-76,77,000
CO-ORDINATES-30°39′31″N 104°03′53″E
TIME ZONE-UTC+8
AIRPORT-Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (CDIA) is 16km southwest to the center of Chengdu City. The airport is connected with downtown through highway. Chengdu International Airport is the largest aviation hub in central and western China, and aims to form the national aviation hub in mainland China and the World Best 10 airport. The airport now has two parallel runways. The west runway is 3,600m long and 45m wide. The east runway is 3,600m long and 60m wide, which is suitable for take-off and landing of A380. CDIA has two terminals, Terminal 1 and Terminal 2.
ATTRACTONS & SIGHTS-
POPULATION-76,77,000
CO-ORDINATES-30°39′31″N 104°03′53″E
TIME ZONE-UTC+8
AIRPORT-Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (CDIA) is 16km southwest to the center of Chengdu City. The airport is connected with downtown through highway. Chengdu International Airport is the largest aviation hub in central and western China, and aims to form the national aviation hub in mainland China and the World Best 10 airport. The airport now has two parallel runways. The west runway is 3,600m long and 45m wide. The east runway is 3,600m long and 60m wide, which is suitable for take-off and landing of A380. CDIA has two terminals, Terminal 1 and Terminal 2.
ATTRACTONS & SIGHTS-
001-CHENGDU RESEARCH BASE OF GIANT PANDA BREEDING-The Giant Panda Breeding Research Base is located on Futoushan Mountain in the northern suburbs of the city of Chengdu in Sichuan province. It is home to some 60 giant pandas, but also has some red pandas and a colony of black-necked cranes. It is about 10 km away from downtown Chengdu, and it can be reached in about 35 minutes by taxi. The Giant Panda Museum is located at the base, and it is the world’s only museum that focuses entirely on the critically endangered giant panda. The giant panda is a rare and beloved animal that only inhabits the six major mountain ranges in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces of China. With a population of less than 2000, the species is included on the endangered list by the Convention on International Trade. The giant panda is considered a national treasure of China. January 17, 1953 when a wild panda was found in Yutang, a town near the city of Dujiangyan. He was rescued and relocated to Chengdu’s Futoushan Breeding Facility at the Chengdu Zoo. This, marked the first giant panda rescue since the development of the People’s Republic of China. 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. 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 best time to visit is in the morning, during feeding time between 8:30 and 10:00. After then, it is likely that the bears will be indulging in their favorite pastime is Sleeping.
002-THE GIANT BUDDHA IN LESHAN-The construction began in 713 AD during the Tang Dynasty and was completed in 803 AD. The charm of the Buddha lies not only in its size but also in its architectural artistry. The Leshan Giant Buddha is a 71-metre (233 ft) tall and 77ft wide stone statue, built between 713 and 803 (during the Tang Dynasty), depicting Maitreya. The head is 34ft long and 32ft wide with total 1021 buns of hair on it, and his toenail can accommodate a seated person. Each eyebrow is 18 feet long. The instep, which is 27ft wide, can accommodate 100 people. The toe is large enough to accommodate a dinner table. The large pair of ears, each seven meters (about 23 feet) long, is made of wood and is decorated by mud on the surface. For craftsmen of thousands of years ago, it was not easy to fix these to the stone head. Taller by 17 meters than the standing Buddha in Afghanistan, the Leshan Giant Buddha is the tallest and largest Buddha in the world. A local saying says, "The Mountain is a Buddha, the Buddha is a Mountain". It is carved out of a cliff face that lies at the confluence of the Minjiang, Dadu and Qingyi rivers in the southern part of Sichuan province in China, near the city of Leshan. The stone sculpture faces Mount Emei, with the rivers flowing below his feet. It is the largest stone Buddha in the world and it is by far the tallest pre-modern statue in the world. Maitreya is the future Buddha, who will appear to preach the dharma when the teachings of Gautama Buddha have faded away.
It was a monk called Hai Tong who initiated the project. His concern was for the safety of the long-suffering people who earned their living around the confluence of the three rivers. Tempestuous waters ensured that boat accidents were numerous and the simple people put the disaster down to the presence of a water spirit. So Hai Tong decided to carve a statue beside the river thinking that the Buddha would bring the water spirit under control. Besides, the fallen stones dropped during the carving would reduce the water force there. Upon completion of the now largest Buddha in the world the river became safe, and thus Buddha saved "us all".
Several drainage passages are hidden in the Buddha's hair, collar, chest, and holes in the back of his ears and chest, prevent the Buddha from serious erosion and weathering. He has been lovingly maintained on a regular basis throughout his 1,200-year history, however moss does grow on the statue.
In addition to the Grand Buddha, there are also numerous smaller carvings of various Buddhas on the Grand Buddha Cliff Road. Other than carvings, there are also various temples and shrines scattered about, the beautiful Haoshang bridge, and some wonderful small waterfalls.
Visit the Statue-There are two ways to see the giant Buddha: on foot and by river ferry.
i-To see the giant Buddha Statue by ferry you can take one of the ferries from the dock for ¥70. The ferry will cross the river and stop in front of the statue for 10 minutes for everyone to go to the top deck and take pictures and then return to the dock. Ferry fare does not include admission to the park itself, the ferry allows you to view the two guards carved into the cliff face which is not visible by foot. The total trip will take around 40 minutes.
ii- An alternative is take a taxi or bus (#13 from downtown) to the statue and climb up and down on the cliff surrounding the Buddha. Costs ¥90 (¥50 with a valid student ID) to enter the park. There is a staircase next to the Buddha to take you down to its feet and then back up through the mountain. This line takes a minimum 1.5 hour to go through. In the mornings, long lines develop to walk down the cliff to the base of the Buddha and you can expect to wait for around 2 hours.
Transport to Site-Leshan is located in the southwest of Sichuan Province, about 180km from Chengdu and 20km to Mount E'mei. There is no airport at Leshan. Chengdu is the closet city and is connected by bus to Leshan. The one-way trip 1.5 hours. Buses leaves every 20 minutes from Shi Yang (stone ram) bus center, Chengdu. Also One can take Chengdu-Leshan-Emeishan Intercity High-Speed Train from Chengdu to Leshan Railway Station, and then change to bus 3 to reach the site.
It was a monk called Hai Tong who initiated the project. His concern was for the safety of the long-suffering people who earned their living around the confluence of the three rivers. Tempestuous waters ensured that boat accidents were numerous and the simple people put the disaster down to the presence of a water spirit. So Hai Tong decided to carve a statue beside the river thinking that the Buddha would bring the water spirit under control. Besides, the fallen stones dropped during the carving would reduce the water force there. Upon completion of the now largest Buddha in the world the river became safe, and thus Buddha saved "us all".
Several drainage passages are hidden in the Buddha's hair, collar, chest, and holes in the back of his ears and chest, prevent the Buddha from serious erosion and weathering. He has been lovingly maintained on a regular basis throughout his 1,200-year history, however moss does grow on the statue.
In addition to the Grand Buddha, there are also numerous smaller carvings of various Buddhas on the Grand Buddha Cliff Road. Other than carvings, there are also various temples and shrines scattered about, the beautiful Haoshang bridge, and some wonderful small waterfalls.
Visit the Statue-There are two ways to see the giant Buddha: on foot and by river ferry.
i-To see the giant Buddha Statue by ferry you can take one of the ferries from the dock for ¥70. The ferry will cross the river and stop in front of the statue for 10 minutes for everyone to go to the top deck and take pictures and then return to the dock. Ferry fare does not include admission to the park itself, the ferry allows you to view the two guards carved into the cliff face which is not visible by foot. The total trip will take around 40 minutes.
ii- An alternative is take a taxi or bus (#13 from downtown) to the statue and climb up and down on the cliff surrounding the Buddha. Costs ¥90 (¥50 with a valid student ID) to enter the park. There is a staircase next to the Buddha to take you down to its feet and then back up through the mountain. This line takes a minimum 1.5 hour to go through. In the mornings, long lines develop to walk down the cliff to the base of the Buddha and you can expect to wait for around 2 hours.
Transport to Site-Leshan is located in the southwest of Sichuan Province, about 180km from Chengdu and 20km to Mount E'mei. There is no airport at Leshan. Chengdu is the closet city and is connected by bus to Leshan. The one-way trip 1.5 hours. Buses leaves every 20 minutes from Shi Yang (stone ram) bus center, Chengdu. Also One can take Chengdu-Leshan-Emeishan Intercity High-Speed Train from Chengdu to Leshan Railway Station, and then change to bus 3 to reach the site.
003-THE NEW CENTURY GLOBAL CENTER-The New Century Global Center is in Chengdu, China. It is located on top of the Century City metro station on Line 1, making it very easy to get to. The colossal 18-storey glass and steel superstructure has a wavy roof and is built above a new metro station. The 100-metre-tall (330 ft) structure is 500 by 400 metres (1,600 by 1,300 ft) in size with 1,700,000 square metres (18,000,000 sq ft) of floor space, making it the world's largest building measured by floor space. It’s three times the size of the Pentagon. It could fit nearly four Malls of America, six Dallas Cowboy stadiums or 30 Sydney Opera houses inside. The New Century Global Center comes complete with multiple 1,000+ room five star hotels, a four-story mall, an IMAX 3D theater, and an ice rink, all centered around an artificial beach and water park(Paradise Island). A 65 meter-high lobby covering 10,000 square meters greets visitors as they enter the center. Visitors will then find the Paradise Island Oceanic Park, with a 400 meter sandy beach and the world's largest indoor LED screen that projects images of seascapes and horizons. The building even has its own artificial sun that rises and sets on a 500 foot high definition screen.
004-TIANFU SQUARE - This square, overlooked by an enormous Chairman Mao statue in the center of the city, has been spruced up. Every evening at dusk, as well as at noontime, an elaborate water show, synchronized to music, bursts out from the square's fountains. Below the square is the hub of Chengdu's subway system.
Presented by-V P Gupta
Presented by-V P Gupta