Chengdu

     
    Chengdu originally was a small village in a part of China that used to be plagued by constant flooding and famine, until the Dujiangyan Irrigation System was completed. Now with a population of over 11 million, Chengdu is the capital ofSichuan province and has achieved a long rich history. Chengdu has been the capital for many dynasties throughout Chinese history, and now sits in the middle of what is sometimes referred to as the “Land of Abundance”. Chengdu has many great cultural and historical sites to see and has also been the home of many famous people in Chinese history, including Li Bai, Dufu, Zhuge Liang, and Deng Xiaoping.
        
    Today Chengdu is a thriving vibrant metropolis and is the economic hub for all of western China. Chengdu has a very broad industrial base that includes: light and heavy manufacturing, metal work, information technology, and textiles. Traditionally, Chengdu has also traditionally been an important center for Chinese medicine. Because of this traditional role, much of modern Chinese medicine is still produced and manufactured in Chengdu; along with a lot of recent investments into Western medicine.
    
     Unlike many cities throughout the world, Chengdu has never once changed its name. However, Chengdu has received a few nicknames. During the Western Han Dynasty (206BC – 23AD), Chengdu was nicknamed the “Brocade City” because many of Chengdu’s elite loved brocade and the Emperor even installed an official solely in charge of brocade production. In the years 907-960, Chengdu was known as the “City of Hibiscus” when an emperor ordered hibiscus trees to be planted around the fortress wall. However in 1960 the wall was destroyed and the hibiscus trees were destroyed as well. However even though the wall and trees were destroyed; the hibiscus still remains the city flower of Chengdu.

Yibin

Situated in the southern part of Sichuan, Yibin is located near the boarders of Yunnan and Guizhou Provinces. Yibin itself sits right where the Min River and the Jinsa River merge to create the mighty Yangtze River. Because of its location Yibin is known as the first city along the Yangtze. The city itself has existed in some form or another on the same location as early as 1100BC and today currently has a population of about 5.1 million. Yibin’s has not always been a Han Chinese city and has actually passed through the hands of many different ethnic groups; because of this Yibin is very culturally diverse and has over 2700 national cultural relics to see.

     Yibin has been able to collect so many cultural relics because it has passed through the hands many of the ethnic minorities and has always been an important transportation hub. The most notable groups to have taken control of Yibin have been the Bo, the Miao, the Yi and the Hui. Many of these ethnic groups are considered minorities by the Chinese government, but they still have had a large influence on Yibin. Each culture that has come through or taken over Yibin has left its cultural imprint on the city. Today you can easily find followers of Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity, and Muslim; as well as the native religions of other minority groups.

     The reason Yibin has been so sought after throughout its history is that because the rivers around Yibin have not only made Yibin a transportation hub, but has also made the surrounding land extremely fertile. The area’s land has proven to be ideal for the growing not only crops but tea and wine. In modern times, Yibin has become a huge producer of tea and wine, and has also won many international awards.

Dujiangyan

Dujiangyan is a small village just northwest of Chengdu and is the home of the famed Dujiangyan Irrigation System and a plethora of Taoist sites. Today Dujiangyan is mostly a tourist attraction for tourists to come visit this amazing irrigation system that has survived the centuries.

     The irrigation project was designed by a governor called Li Bing and was built in 256BC. The project was designed to control both the flooding of the Min River and to use the extra water to irrigate the nearby farmland. This project allowed the Sichuan Basin to become an extremely fertile land and was so successful that it is still used today. Since the completion of this project flooding was controlled and the extra water is used to irrigate over 74 million acres of land.

     The Fulong Temple and the Erwang Temple (also known as the Two Kings Temple) were built in honor of Li Bing and his contributions to the area. Both temples are located in the Lidui Park.