Known in ancient times as Ba and Shu, the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan covers a vast territory and is known as 'Nature's Storehouse' which leads China in the output of paddy rice, citrus fruits and precious medicinal herbs. Among Sichuan's rich flora and fauna resources are 54 endangered species. Most of the world's giant pandas are found in the wooded mountains in northwest Sichuan. Hence the name, 'Homeland of Giant Pandas'. Fifteen nature reserves have been established at national or provincial levels to protect these lovely animals. There are 9 national scenic resorts, 7 famous national historical and cultural cities, and 40-odd sites under national protection as key cultural relics in Sichuan, home to 14 ethnic minority peoples, including Tibetans, Yis, Qiangs and Naxis, who celebrate all manner of festivals such as the lantern festival, flower fair, horseracing festival, mountain singing festival, and the torch festival .

SCENES & SIGHTS

Evening Scenes of Chongqing

The Red Star Pavilion in the Pipasha Park, the Kansheng Pavilion in the Eling Park, and a place called Yikeshu on the Nanshan Mountain are vintage points for observing the nocturnal scenes of the mountain city of Chongqing. At night the entire city is inundated in an ocean of lights, which form a colorful three-dimensional painting, with waves of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers glistening against the moonlit, star spangled sky.

Sites of the Provisional Capital

Chongqing figured importantly in modem Chinese history. During the War of Resistance against Japan, it was the "provisional capital" of China under the Kuomintang rule from November 1937 to October 1945. Vestiges of that period are still there in and around the city. These include the Red Crag Village and 50 Zengjiayan, as well as Chiang Kai-shek's mansion, Guiyuan Garden, Linyuan Garden, and the mansion of C.C. Kong, the embassies of various countries to China, as well as former residences of important politicians, generals and cultural figures.

Martyrs' Mausoleum at Mount Gele

The former headquarters, radio station and prison of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics of the Military Council (a colossal secret service of the Kuomintang) at the foot of the Gele Mountain in Shapingba District have become the mausoleum for those who died a martyr's death there in China's dark days. In the dying years of World War 11, it was the site of the "Sino0US Institute for Cooperation in Special Technology".

Dazu Grottoes

The Dazu Grottoes in the county of the same name is best known for the stone carvings on the Baodingshan and Beishan mountains, which are fine example of grotto sculpture in the late years of Chinese feudalism. The sculptures, done in fastidious chisel work and gracious imagery, are marked by a new sculptural language that eschews religious taboos and espouses true life.

Yangtze River's Three Gorges

Sailong down the Yangtze from Chongqing to Yichang allows visitors to see the spectacular scenery of the Three Gorges along with its splendid cultural heritage and fabled local folklore. The cruise, which combines sightseeing with scientific, artistic and folklore exploration, is a national-caliber tourist program. The 193-km-long Three Gorges, consisting of the majestic Qutangxia, statuesque Wuxia and ferocious Xilingxia gorges, is one of and ferocious Xilongxia gorges, is one of the world's major canyons. Along the way there are such scenic attractions as the Fengdu Mountain. Baidi city, Shibao village, Zhang Fel's Temple, Qu Yuan's Temple, and the Three Gorges Dam.

Lesser Three Gorges

The Daning River is the largest Yangtze tributary, which rises in the southern side of the Daba Mountain and flows for 250km before emptying itself into the Yangtze at the western entrance to the Wuxia Gorge. The Lesser Three Gorges on the Daning River, a 50km-long affair covering the Longmenxia, Bawuxia and Dicuixia gorges in the lower reaches of the river, is billed as one of China's 40 best scenic resorts thanks to its gorgeous mountains, elegant peaks, turbulent rapids, limpid water, exotic rock imagery and serene scenery.

Diaoyu City, Hechuan

Established in 1242, or the 2nd year of the Chunyou reign of the Southern Song, Diaoyu City covers 2.5 square km up the Diaoyu Mountain on the southern shore of the Jialing River in Hechuan City's Heyang Town. In 1258, the Mongols launched a three-way attack on the Song, and in February the next year Diaoyu City found itself besieged. The Song army mounted a valiant counterattack that last3ed for 36 years, and made world war history by rebuffing a strong enemy with a weak force. This prompted some European historians to laud Diaoyu City as the "Mecca of the East" and "Where God broke his whip". The ruins of the ancient battlefield of Diaoyu City are well kept there.

Jinyun Mountain

Nicknamed "Less Mount Emei", Jinyun Mountain is a national scenic resort 55km from downtown Chongqing.

Furong Cave, Wulung

The Furong (Hibiscus) Cave is located by the Furong River in Wulung County. The main part of the cave is 2,700 metres in length and 3.7 square metres in area. The Splendid Cave is the most impressive. Housed in it are nearly 30 varieties of stalactites chiseled into every manner of exotic imagery by the cunning labor of nature. Major attractions are Gold Throne Hall, Leifeng Pagoda and Sky-reaching Jade Pillar.

Chongqing Museum

Located at Pipashan Street, the Chongqing Museum is in the possession of more than 100,000 cultural artifacts, including 10,000 or so valuable ones.

Chongqing Nature Museum

Local natural history and fauna and flora samples are on display in the Chongqing Nature Museum in Beibei district, which includes a display room for dinosaurs that have been founding Sichuan.

Other Scenic Attractions

Other scenic attractions include the south and north Hot springs, Red Crag Village, Simian (Four-Face) Mountain, Jinfo (Golden Buddha) Mountain, Earth's Chasm at Tianjing Gorge, and Heavenly Crate at Xiaozhai village.

Three Gorges Tourist Festival

Time: June every year
What's On: Cruise on the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, the Ghost City at Fengdu, Dazu Grottoes, Shibao Village, Zhang Fei's Temple, Baidi City at Fengjie and Lesser Three Gorges. Other activities include float parade, full-length variety show and tourist business talks.

Chongqing is the largest water, land and air transport hub in southwest China. Every day several dozen flights shuttle between Chongqing and other major cities in the country. There are also scheduled flights to Thailand, Japan, Germany, South Korea, Hong Kong and Macao. There are quite a few star-graded boats catered to foreign visitors, and their routes and stopovers are set up according to destinations along the river and the Three Gorges. Plying the water of the Yangtze are currently 50 or so luxury cruises with first-class service and so equipped as to make the joumey a cozy experience. Many tourist trains run from Chongqing to Beijing, Shanghai, and Xi'an and vice versa.

In terms of culinary art, Chongqing is part of the Sichuan School of cooking rooted in the local cultural tradition. The dishes guarantee to hold the diners enthralled. One of them is Chongqing-style hot pot, which is marked for its fastidiously prepared soup, which tastes, by turns, hot, numbing, refreshing and fragrant. The ingredients are varied to meet the needs of both vegetarians and carnivores.

Chongqing has an endless line of souvenirs to offer its visitors. The vast mountain areas of the municipality abound in valuable medicinal herbs, such as the rhizome of Chinese goldthread (Coptis chinensis), the tuber of elevated gastrodia (Gastrodia elata), and the bark of eucommia.
Oranges from Jiangjin, pears from Cangxi, Satian pomelos from Changshou, Mopan persimmons from Chengkou are famous local fruits. A kind of local oranges with red peel used to be kept for the imperial family. Chongqing abounds in tea. The tuocha tea, the yinzhen tea from Cuiping, and the maojian tea from Xinong are among the best teas in China.
Chongqing's folk arts and crafts are known for their exquisite craftsmanship. It is a center for Shu embroidery, one of four major schools of Chinese embroidery. Other famous products include stone ink slabs from the Three Gorges, Sichuan-flavour food, and brocade produced by the ethnic Tujia people.