Introduction Of Chengdu City

　Chengdu is also known for its handicrafts. From the Warring States (770 BC-476 BC) to the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), lacquer wares enjoyed a high popularity abroad. Hometown of the famous Shu brocade, Chengdu has been an important city for brocade weaving and the silk culture in China. In the Han Dynasty (220 BC- AD 206) and the Jin Dynasty (265-420), the colored silk from Sichuan was extremely popular in China. For a long period of time between the Six Kingdms and the Tang Dynasty (618-907), most of the silks exported to the Middle Asia were made in Chengdu. In 1909, the Shu colored silk won the first prize in the Southeast Asian Fair. In the Han Dynasty, the hemp cloth was the first-grade cloth, finding a ready market in countries as far as Afghanistan (known then as Daxia).

　In the Tang Dynasty and the Song Dynasty, Sichuan Opera, with a large variety, dwarfed all other operas in China. Musical instrument was also famed. With a long history in making musical instruments, a family known as Lei amazed the world with their masterpiece. Also, wall paintings in Daci Temple (Temple of Great Mercy) were honored as °the Best Wall Painting in China".

　Tea cooking and tea culture originated in Sichuan, China . And Xinjin, a town of Chengdu, was the first to begin tea trade. Even in poetry, the earliest description about tea drinking was found in Chengdu. In the Tang Dynasty and the Song Dynasty, Chengdu remained an important base for tea production, and it was also an important center for tea trade, either for retailing or in wholesale. Since the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), teahouses here gradually developed their own unique style which could be found today. Besides, Chengdu has the largest number of teahouses in the world.

　Chengdu has been an open place gathering talented minds. In the Han Dynasty when Fu, a genre of literary creation, was extremely popular, there were four acknowledged masters in composing Fu, two of which were people of Chengdu, namely, Sima Xiangru and Yang Xiong. Later in the Tang Dynasty, Huan Quan and his son, Huan Juchai, were master painters. In the Song Dynasty, among the prestigious historians are two Chengdu people, namely Fan Zhen and Fan Zuyu.

　Moreover, Chengdu was also the love of many personages, such as Zhuge Liang, an outstanding statesman, and other poets including Li Bai, Du Fu, Cen Shen, Xue Tao, Wei Zhuang, Lu You and Fang Cheng. Understandably, it was believed that Sichuan was of irresistible attraction to poets. Many other figures spent their schooling years in Chengdu, among which were Zhu De and Chen Yi, the great proletarian revolutionists, Guo Moruo, Ba Jin, Li Jieren, and Li Yimang, writers of modern China, and Zhou Taixuan, the scientist.

　The city has been characterized in cultural traits by non-exclusiveness, absorptiveness, enterprising and openness. The coming of Kai Ming people into Sichuan brought with themselves the Jing and Chu culture. Soon later, the unification of China by the Qin Kingdom introduced another new culture, added later by a new wave of immigration of merchants from all other six kingdoms, bringing in knowledge of business management and industry. On the other hand, Wen Weng, a great advocator and patron of education then, sent many of his students to the capital city for study. Later in the Sui Dynasty, Yang Xiou, when designated to be governor of Sichuan, brought with him a group of master monks from China, thus making Sichuan an important center for Buddhist studies. Emperor Xuan Zhong and Emperor Xi Zhong of the Tang Dynasty made two imperial visits to Sichuan. Coming together with them were large groups of poets, painters, artists and talented minds of many other trades. In the Qing Dynasty, a large number of people from Hubei Province and Guangxi Province moved into Sichuan Province, which helped to promote the communication in economy, culture, and customs. By either assimilating or learning from other people and places, Chengdu gradually developed its own opera, namely Sichuan Opera, painting, Sichuan cuisine and snacks, all of which contributed to the formation of Chengdu culture. During the Eight-year Anti-Japanese War (1937-1945), many associations, societies and celebrities moved to Chengdu, added later by another 27 colleges and Universities, thus making Chengdu a cultural center at that time. Between 1945 and 1949, with the liberation in Southwest China, many cadres came to Sichuan from all over China. After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, when three important railways were under construction in Southwest China, a large number of professionals and other technicians were transferred into Chengdu to offer help.

　In all, over two thousand years, Chengdu has been constantly learning and absorbing the new and the advanced culturally and intellectually. This explains why Chengdu has remained prosperous politically, culturally and economically all through the history.

　Chengdu is also a city of rebellious and revolutionary tradition. In history, it was the center of a couple of peasants uprisings and revolutions. In the early Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), Wang Xiaobo and Li Shun, the rebel chiefs, started their uprising in Qingcheng City and soon later established their government in Chengdu. In the late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Zhang Xianzhong, rebel chief of the peasants uprising, also chose Chengdu as the capital city for his kingdom. In the Revolution of 1911, people in Chengdu launched an intensive campaign to protect the railways against government nationalization, and was followed by a wave of revolutions throughout Sichuan province. And it also pioneered another greater revolution in October 10, which was known to the Chinese people as the Wuchang Uprising, an important event in modern China. Mr. Sun Yat-Sen, Father of China?ˉs democratic revolution, spoke highly of Chengdu people in the revolution. After the May 4th Movement in 1919, Chengdu was among the first to send students to France for further study while working part time. Many revolutionary pioneers, including Wang Youmu, Zhao Shiyan, Wu Yuzhang, and Che Yaoxian, lived and worked in Chengdu. In December 1949, to liberate Chengdu, many soldiers sacrificed their lives to create a new world in this old city.

　Chengdu has also been famous for its rich cultural heritages. Within its jurisdiction are Qionglai city, Chongzhou city and Pengzhou city, all of which are listed as Cities of Rich Cultural and Historical Heritage by the government of Sichuan province. In November 2000, Dujiangyan Irrigation System and Qingcheng Mountain (the Taoist Mountain) were ranked as Cities of the World Cultural Heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).