lonely planet 四川

SÌCH U Ā N „ Interpret literally the five Chinese elements (water, earth, wood, metal, fire) and you may understand the attraction that Sìchuān has had for millennia. Sìchuān means ‘Four Rivers’ and the name pays tribute to that most essential element, water. Indeed, the ‘four’ are but the mightiest of the 1300-plus rivers roiling or sedately meandering across the southwest’s most expansive province and long dominating the ethos. Underappreciating the land (‘earth’) here defies possibility; one can’t help but note the high quotient of set-in-Sìchuān poetry and shānshuǐ huā (‘mountain water painting’, a traditional Chinese form). Sìchuān is ensconced to the north, west, and south by sublime mountain ranges at once majestic and foreboding (and the reason why Sìchuān remained so isolated for so much of China’s history). In the west, the sparsely populated Tibetan plateau, birthplace of many ribbony waterways, pushes skyward with each kilometre. The rivers spill eastward into the Chuānxī plain of the preternaturally fecund Sìchuān basin, which supports one of the densest (and most diverse) populations on the planet (and filling a billion other mouths). With epic tracts of forest (‘wood’) and vast deposits of ore (‘metal’), Sìchuān has become one of China’s wealthiest provinces and in no small part is the engine of western China. Ah, but fire may be the most esoteric. No volcanoes, but to toy with a metaphor, ‘fire’ here really means spice, as in hot (italics essential) peppers, the key ‘element’ of Sìchuān’s renowned flamethrower cuisine. The preponderance of peppers isn’t arbitrary; their spiciness is believed to help reduce a person’s internal dampness caused by high humidity and rainy weather. Sìchuān 四川 „ POPULATION: 84 MILLION HIGHLIGHTS „ Wear out your legs, bribe some monkeys and hope for a blessed sunrise at the sacred mountaintop of Éméi Shān ( p769 ) „ Feel your mortality (from the bottom up) on the Sìchuān–Tibet Hwy ( p777 ) amid soaring snow-capped peaks, grasslands and Tibetan villages „ Indulge your inner cowpoke atop a (tame) pony through the magnificent splendour surrounding Sōngpān ( p792 ) „ Coo baby talk to panda cubs at Chéngdū’s Giant Panda Breeding Research Base ( p757 ) „ Get some statuary exercise by scaling the Grand Buddha, the world’s largest Buddha statue, in Lèshān ( p774 ) „ Wander streets filled with funky traditional architecture and prepare for your Imperial examination in Lǎngzhōng ( p768 ) L†ngzhŸng Éméi Shƒn Lèshƒn Chéngd¥ SŸngpƒn Tibet Hwy Sìchuƒn– 751 © Lonely Planet Publications S Ì C H U Ā N S Ì C H UĀN l o n e l y p l a n e t . c o m SÌCH U Ā N l o n e l y p l a n e t . c o m S Ì C H UĀN • • H i s t o r y History Not until 1986, with a major archaeological discovery of the late-Shang dynasty culture of Shu at Sānxīngduī, was the Sìchuān basin’s importance to Chinese history fully realized. Never really a backwater as long assumed, the region’s rough land (if not fiery food) perhaps giving rise to a rough character of people, it has been the site of various breakaway kingdoms, ever skirmishing with central authority. It was finally wrestled into control and established as the capital of the Qin empire in the 3rd century BC and it was here that the kingdom of Shu (a name by which the province is still known) ruled as an independent state during the Three Kingdoms Period (AD 220–80). The Kuomintang ( p48 ) spent its last days in Sìchuān before being vanquished and fleeing to Taiwan; and most recently Chóngqìng split from Sìchuān when it was promoted to the status of Municipality in 1997. During the Warring States period (475–221 BC) a famed engineer, Li Bing, managed to harness the Du River (Dū Hé) on the Chuānxī plain with his weir system, allowing Sìchuān some 2200 continuous years of irrigation and prosperity. No exaggeration – this bread- basket region in no small part helped unify (and feed) the nation. Sadly, the Great Leap Forward ( p51 ) dealt Sìchuān an especially cruel blow: it’s believed that one in 10 people starved. In 1975 Zhao Ziyang, governor of Sìchuān and the province’s first Communist Party secretary, became the driving force behind the agriculture and economic reforms that put Sìchuān back on the map (Zhao was also the CCP’s national general secretary from 1987 to 1989 before he fell from grace and into lifelong house arrest for opposing the use of troops during the 1989 Tiananmen Square demonstrations). His system (the ‘Responsi- bility System’), whereby plots of land were let out to individual farmers on the proviso that a portion of the crops be sold back to the government, was so successful that it became the national model and was later applied to the industrial sector. As of 2006, this fertile land of ‘Heaven’s Granary’ was still produc- ing over 10% of the nation’s grain, soybeans, pork, and more. Climate Chéngdū and the east have a subtropical, humid monsoon climate with temperatures ranging from 3°C to 8°C in winter (Dec-Feb) and 25°C to 29°C in summer (Jun-Aug). The Qinghai-Tibet plateau in the west experiences intense sunlight and low temperatures most of the year with temperatures dropping to –9°C in winter and reaching highs of only 17°C in summer. Language In addition to Mandarin, which is spoken by the Han and the Hui, the other major lan- guages in Sìchuān belong to the Tibeto-Bur- man family and are spoken by Tibetans and the Yi. Sichuanese is one of the ‘Mandarin dialects’, even though the pronunciation is different enough that it is often very diffi- cult for those who speak standard Chinese to understand. Getting There & Away For more details about travelling between provinces see p966 . AIR Chéngdū’s Shangliu Airport is the largest international airport in southwest China. Air China and Sìchuān Airlines link Chéngdū with all major Chinese cities and fly direct to Lhasa in Tibet. Currently international flights serve Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau, Kuala Lumpur, Kathmandu, Japan, Vienna, Amsterdam and Seoul (more are al- ways in the pipeline). Jiuhuang Airport in northern Sìchuān closed in May 2006 for expansion to allow for flights from other major Chinese cities. BUS Sìchuān’s provincial government has been throwing hundreds of billions into highway construction since the mid-1990s as part of China’s ‘Develop the West’ migration plan. High-speed expressways link Chéngdū with Chóngqìng and Lèshān; and the construction of highways to link Chéngdū with Shànghǎi, Běihǎi in Guǎngxī province and Tibet are underway (to get to Tibet as yet requires su- perhuman endurance). Travel to Gānsù is possible via Jiǔzhàigōu and Zöigê. To get to Yúnnán you can travel south via Lèshān, Éméi Shān and Pānzhīhuā on the border, or you can travel along the southern route of the Sìchuān–Tibet Hwy through Lǐtáng and Xiāngchéng to Shangri-la (Zhōngdiàn). 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Direct trains run to cit- ies such as Běijīng, and Shànghǎi. Travel to Kūnmíng in Yúnnán and Xī’ān in Shaanxi tend to be the most popular options, al- though Chéngdū now has a direct train to Lhasa that is becoming wildly popular. To get to Gānsù you need to change in Hànzhōng, Shaanxi province. Getting Around Jiuhuang Airport connects Chéngdū with Sōngpān and Jiǔzhàigōu. New expressways connect Chéngdū with the eastern part of the province, including those from Chéngdū to Lèshān/Chóngqìng. The buses on this side of the province are generally modern and comfortable. Trains in the east have gener- ally been slow and irregular, but in 2006 new high-speed lines to Miányáng, Lèshān, and Chóngqìng were being finalised. Travel in the west of the province can only be done via bus (or hitching in logging trucks; see p971 ). But make sure you have enough time (and pain medication), the roads in this part of Sìchuān remain in buttbreak- ingly awful condition and the buses are, if possible, even worse. CENTRAL SÌCHUĀN CHÉNGDŪ 成都 %028 / pop 4.1 million / elevation 500m Judging by the laid-back attitude, admira- ble green space and pockets of, well, ‘old’ Chéngdū, you’d hardly know that the city is China’s fifth-most populous city (the greater metropolitan area has just broached 13 mil- lion and is growing fast even by China’s hyper standards). ‘Charm’ – not a word often used with Chinese supercities – is not altogether inappropriate. In 2006 Chéngdū was rated by several Chinese media as the nation’s second- most liveable city. Oh, true, the city is still in China. Tradi- tional wooden architecture and tree-draped streets have been gradually giving way to neon-drenched malls, glassy high-rises, or resolutely practical new apartment complexes. That same survey above glumly noted that Chéngdū, while eminently liveable, is also choking on exhaust fumes, ranking third in cars per capita. Yet bustling side streets chock-full of gingko trees and hibiscus flowers do exist, bicycles for the nonce almost equal cars and buses, and eating out with mates still trumps all else. You’ll stumble upon markets, count- less tiny restaurants specialising in Sìchuān snacks, and parks where old men walk their song birds or hunch over a game of chess (as auburn-haired seen-on-the-scene hip- sters yapping on their mobile phones stroll nearby). A dash of old-time artisans – cob- blers, weavers, itinerant dentists and the like – scattered throughout and you’ve got your lively-yet-relaxed Chéngdū. History ‘Chéngdū’, or Perfect Metropolis, has seen the rise and fall of nearly a dozen independent kingdoms or dynasties since its founding in 316 BC; agricultural potential and strategic geography were key to its political power. Yet throughout history it has been equally well- known for culture; not by accident did the Tang dynasty poet Du Fu brush his strokes here. The city is also split by the Brocade River (Jǐn Jiāng), a reminder of the city’s silk brocade industry which thrived during the Eastern Han dynasty (AD 25–220); from here the Southern Silk Road guided caravans to the known world. The city’s name eventu- ally shifted from Jǐnchéng (Brocade City) to ‘Hibiscus City’, still used today by locals. By the time of the Tang dynasty (AD 618–907) the city had become a cornerstone of Chinese society. Three hundred years later, during the Song dynasty, Chéngdū began to issue the world’s first paper money. It is also a survivor. Devastated first by the Mongols in retaliation for its fierce resistance, from 1644 to 1647 it was presided over by the rebel Zhang Xianzhong, who set up an inde- pendent state in Sìchuān and ruled by terror and mass executions. Three centuries later the city became one of the last strongholds of the Kuomintang. Orientation Ring roads circle the outer city: Yihuan Lu (First Ring Rd), Erhuan Lu (Second Ring Rd) and Sanhuan Lu (Third Ring Rd). These are divided into numbered segments (duàn). The main boulevard that sweeps through the centre of everything is Renmin Lu – in its north (běi), central (zhōng) and south (nán) manifestations. The nucleus of the city is the square that interrupts Renmin Lu, where you’ll find the Sìchuān Exhibition Centre, a sports stadium and the colossal Mao statue. Just south is Tianfu Sq, a pedestrianised neon extravaganza and the main shopping district. Note that a new subway system and ongoing plans to relocate government offices and industries are affecting the lay of the downtown land. MAPS Tourist maps of Chéngdū, including a handful of English-language ones, abound at train and bus stations, bookshops and newspaper kiosks. City maps in Chinese can be useful for tracing bus routes, though not even the best ones can hope to capture the insanity that is Chéngdū’s street naming (see the box on above ). Information BOOKSHOPS South West Book Centre (Xīnán Shūchéng; Xiadong Dajie) Has maps and a small selection of English titles. INTERNET ACCESS 网吧 Well-located options include one on Chunxi Lu, another above Xinnanmen bus station, and one on Renmin Beilu south of the train station. All guesthouses – but not all hotels – have internet access (though few of these are adept at CD burning and other higher-tech endeavours, so do be patient with them). All charge about Y3 per hour. INTERNET RESOURCES Chengdu (www.chengdu.gov.cn) This provincial govern- ment website has an OK English version with information on the city and surrounding areas. MEDICAL SERVICES No 3 Hospital (Dongmen Jie) Helpful staff with a handful of English speakers. Global Doctor Chéngdū Clinic (%8522 6058, 139- 8225 6966; ground fl, Kelan Bldg, Bangkok Garden Apts, Section 4, 21 Renmin Nanlu; h9-11am & 1.30-3.30pm Mon-Fri) Has a 24-hour English-speaking helpline. MONEY Bank of China (Zhōngguó Yínháng; Renmin Nanlu; h8.30am-6pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am-5pm Sat & Sun) Can change money and travellers cheques and offer cash ad- vances on credit cards. Other well-located branches include those on Renmin Zhonglu and just north of Xinnanmen bus station. All have ATMs. POST & TELEPHONE China Post (Yóujú; 71 Shawan Lu; h8am-6pm) The main international post office is west of the train station. A smaller branch can be found on Dongchenggen Jie near People’s Park. PUBLIC SECURITY BUREAU PSB (Gōngānjú; %8640 7067; 136 Wenwu Lu; h9am- noon & 1-5pm Mon-Fri) The foreign affairs entrance is on Tianzuo Jie; this is where you can get visa extensions. PSB says it’s a five-day wait. Period. Consider picking yours up in Lèshān, Kāngdìng, or – best – Sōngpān. TOURIST INFORMATION The best source for up-to-the-minute restau- rant, bar and entertainment listings is the free monthly magazine Go West which you can pick up at guesthouses and restaurants. Tourist booth (h9am-9.30pm in summer) The city maintains an information booth with English (well, some anyway) speakers along Chunxi Lu. Tourist hotline (%8292 8555) Free hotline with English-speaking operators. TRAVEL AGENCIES Every other building in the city seems to be a travel agency; note that dissatisfaction with private agencies is a none-too-rare thing, so ask around first. Basically everywhere you can lay your head has a travel agency of some sort. The more useful travel agencies are at the Dragon Town Youth Hostel, The Loft and Sim’s Cozy Guesthouse. Tours offered differ at every place, but many include those to Hǎiluógōu Glacier Park, Wolong Nature Reserve, Jiǔzhàigōu, Éméi Shān and Sōngpān. Also on offer are day trips to the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base and local Sìchuān opera performances. STREET NAME HEADACHE Chéngdū is a true Asian city in its noncha- lant disregard of systematic street num- bering and naming. It’s not unusual, when following street numbers in one direction, to meet another set coming the other way, leaving some places with five sets of numbers on their doors. Street names, also, seem to change every 100m or so – with very little apparent logic involved. Try to bear this in mind when you’re looking for somewhere in particular, and rely more on nearby landmarks and relative locations on maps than on street numbers and names. 754 755 S Ì C H U Ā N C E N T R A L S Ì C H UĀN • • C h é n g dū l o n e l y p l a n e t . c o m SÌCH U Ā N l o n e l y p l a n e t . c o m C E N T R A L S Ì C H UĀN • • C h é n g dū Prices depend upon the number of travellers but are generally good value. Agencies can often arrange Yangzi Riv