Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, located in the west plain in the Sichuan Basin, is a famous historical and cultural city with a history over 3,000 years. It serves as the provincial center for politics, economy, culture, and transportation. Its jurisdiction is over nine districts, four county-leveled cities and six counties. Known as the land of abundance, Chengdu boasts plentiful local products, a pleasant climate, a large number of scenic spots and historical sites, and fine traditional handicrafts well known both at home and abroad.

Location: in Southwest China. Its east longitude extends from 102°54′ to 104°53′ and its north latitude extends from 30°05′ to 31°26′.

Area: Chengdu has an area of 12,300 sq km.

Climate: Chengdu enjoys a subtropical monsoon climate characterized by an early spring, hot summer, cool autumn and warm winter. The average annual temperature for the year is 16 degrees C.

The best time to visit is between March and June or between September and November. The hottest season here is during July and August when temperatures can be almost unbearable although Chengdu does have a few nice spots (such as Qingchengshan Mountain ) outside the city center where it is possible to get some shade and respite from the heat.

This is also however the rainy season and it is awkward juggling the two types of weather at once! In summer the heat is wet with a high temperature of 35 degrees C and in winter, the average temperature is approximately 5 degrees C.

Time: Time used in Beijing and all over China is called Beijing Standard Time. It is 8 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT + 8), and 13 hours ahead of New York time.

Transportation: As an important city in southwest, Chengdu has convenient communications. More than 160 scheduled fights go to over 60 large and medium-sized cities at home and abroad. The Shuangliu International Airport is only 20 kilometers away from the city proper. In addition, Chengdu is the largest railway transportation hub in southwest China. It has two railway stations and many train tickets offices in the city proper.

History : According to the records and relics, there was human being living on this piece of land about 3,700 years ago. It is about 2,300 years ago the ninth king Kaiming of ancient Shu State moved his capital to the site and named it ‘Chengdu’. Then the name has been kept until today. Due to its economic and military importance, more than seven local regimes appeared here in the history started from the end of Western Han Dynasty (8 A.D.-25 A.D.). Among them, the most famous one is the Shu State during the Three Kingdom Period 1,700 years ago. It is a miracle for a city to remain unchanged and prosperous through thousands of years and flames of wars, however, Chengdu is a miracle of this kind. During its development, the city has gain many reputations, such as the land of abundance, the city of Hibiscus, and the city of brocades.