Joanna James
Being regarded as one of the most culturally significant cities in China, Chengdu is a city drenched in history. Believed to be over 2300 years old, it is the official homeland of the giant pandas! The city is home to myriad historic monuments, vivid attractions and a hospitable population. If you are planning to visit here anytime soon, here are 5 exciting things you could do in Chengdu.
Being endemic to south-central China, Giant pandas are one of nature's cutest creatures! Characterised by the black patches around their body and eyes, Pandas are gentle creatures and are omnivores with 99% of their diet is based on bamboo leaves and shoots. Being classified as vulnerable species these creatures are protected by law and numerous conservation efforts are in place in order to increase their population. You can see Giant pandas at conservation reserves located around the region and at institutes that are dedicated to protecting these creatures when you are in Chengdu.
Chengdu is a region that treasures its cultures and traditions and the traditional Sichuan opera is one of the most well preserved visual art practises in the region. This a variation of an opera drama of which the most notable feature is the actors change their masks during mid-performance in a way that will be totally undetected by the audience, hence it is aptly called magical face-changing drama.
Renowned as the world's largest statue of seated Maitreya, The Leshan giant buddha is Intricately sculpted Buddha statue that has been entirely carved out of a cliff. Historical evidence state the constriction took almost 70 years for completion due to the sheer scale of carving out a statue from the cretaceous red sandstone. The statue is located at the confluence of Dadu and Min Rivers and the site with its surrounding certainly inspires awe in your minds!
As mentioned earlier, Chengdu is a city that is drenched in over 2300 years worth of history! Hence it is home to a multitude of historic monuments, temples, ancient municipal buildings and gardens. It is also home to sites that are some of the few remaining monuments of Taoism. The Chengdu cultural park, Daci Temple, Wenshu Yuan Monastery and the An Shun bridge are some of the historic sites in the region you should consider visiting. If you plan on visiting many of these attractions in a short period, it is recommended that you should plan your stay at any of the centrally located service apartments in Chengdu the likes of Ascott Raffles City Chengdu.
Chuan cuisine is one of the most popular food cultures in all of China and this is because the cuisine still follows traditional cooking practises and uses an assortment of unique ingredients that are only available in this region. The food items served here are extremely flavourful and authentic in all aspects. Some of the food items that you should not miss tasting are Sichuan Smoked Sausages, Sichuan Dumplings in Chili Oil, Wood Fire Chicken Spiced Steamed Beef and pepper friend rabbit.
A true believer that the pen is a mighty weapon, ventures into reaching the minds of every reader with the earnest hope of leaving an indelible stream of thought.
A travel writer who has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world.
