Set on the western side of the Red Basin, CHENGDU is a city with two faces: a modern, smoggy provincial capital whose boutique-lined streets are traversed by Japanese four-wheel-drives and fluorescent bicycles, coupled with narrow back lanes where old men play cards in noisy teahouses and pot plants crowd the porches of traditional, half-timbered homes. Whether you Ye an old hand or arriving through the air link with Tibet for your first taste of Han China, you’ll find Chengdu a far-from-typical metropolis - 
it’s one of tine country’s most mellow cities, intrinsically interesting and built on a very human scale. Settled for more than 2400 years and once ringed by almost 20km of battle- earned and gates, Chengdu was styled Brocade City in Hah times, when the urban elite were buried in elegantly decorated tombs, and its silk traveled west along the caravan routes as far as imperial Rome. A refuge for the eighth- century Tang emperor Xuan Zong after his army mutinied over his infatuation with the beautiful concubine Yang Guifei, the city later became a printing centre, producing the world’s first paper money. Chengdu was sacked by the invading Mongols in 1271, but recovered soon enough to impress Marco Polo with its busy artisans and handsome bridges, since when it has since survived similar cycles of war and restoration to become, once again, a major industrial and business centre. Plenty of’ sights illustrate this chequered history, with a sprinkling of monuments and temples in and around the city well worth a few days’browsing. The university, founded in the 1920s, adds a lively element to the city’s strong cultural tradition, and there’s also an important School of Chinese Medicine. Backed by an embryonic nightlife, and with one of China’s most outstanding cuisines to spike your taste buds on, Chengdu at the very least offers a comfortable base to organize travel into the rest of Sichuan, or to recuperate afterwards.
For history buffs, the sites in Chengdu are endless. In the five days that I was there, I visited the Temple of Marquis Wu, a temple in memory of Zhuge Liang, prime minister of the Shu Kingdom (221-263AD). During the Three Kingdoms Period, Zhuge Liang was ancient China’s outstanding politician and military strategist. His name is the symbol of wisdom.
Then there was Du Fu Thatched Cottage, the former residence of the Tang poet Du Fu (712-770AD). Then there was Wangjianglou Park, located on the banks of the Jinjiang River. It was interesting in that it has 1041 types of bamboo. Not far away was Wenshu Temple, from the Tang Dynasty, with 450 Buddhas and many other treasures.
For those who admire nature’s creations, Singdu Gui Lake is a must-visit. One of eight popular places for lotus in China, the beauty of the lake has been mentioned in poems dating back to the Ming Dynasty era. The lake is famous for its big flowers, bright colors and long blooms.
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