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 protest 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.
Mt. Emei
Mt. Emei, 140 km to the southwest of Chengdu and 30 km from Leshan, is one of China's four major Buddhist mountain sanctuaries. It is also a natural wildlife and botanical garden and a geological museum. Its breathtaking natural beauty and fabled Buddhist and Taoist heritage give inspiration to the line, "The elegance of Emei is unparalleled under heaven". The Baoguo and Wannian temples and cast-bronze statue of Samantabhadra riding upon an elephant are major cultural phenomena up the mountain. The 3,099-metre-high main peak commands four natural spectacles: the ocean of clouds, sunrise, Buddha's halo, and the sacred light. In 1997, Mt. Emei was endorsed as a world natural and cultural heritage site along with the Mountain Leshan Buddha.
Dujiang Weir
In 250 BC, Li Bing, garrison commander of Shujun Prefecture, and his son organized the construction of the famed Dujiang Weir. Two thousand years later today, the weir is still playing a pivotal anti-flood and irrigation role, protecting West Sichuan Plain from the menace of drought and flood, and bringing rich harvests for local farmers.
The Giant Panda
The Giant Panda is an endangered species whose childlike charms have captivated so many people. Nicknamed "living fossil" and "national treasure", it is the mascot of the World Wildlife Foundation. Sichuan is a natural habitat of the giant panda, and 85 percent of the 1.000 or so giant pandas living in this world are found in Sichuan, which is the site of all but two of China's 18 giant panda nature reserves. A giant panda breeding and research centre is in northeast Chengdu, and the World Wildlife Foundation has founded its Giatn Panda Research Centre in Wolong Giant Panda Reserve, 136 km from Chengdu.
Monumental Leshan Buddha
The Giant Buddha gazes serenely at what is unfolding before him as he leans his monumental form against the stupendous Lingyun Mountain at the confluence of the Minjiang, Qingyi and Dadu rivers in east Leshan and 130 km from Chengdu. Carved into the rock face of the mountain in 713, and with an imposing height of 71 metres, the Buddha has made the UNESCO list of world cultural heritage sites