Home of the famous giant pandas and the fabled gateway to Tibet. Sichuan is China's most populous province. And Chengdu, Sichuan's provincial capital, is currently one of the country's most interesting and active cities.

Modern Chengdu is a city of wide tree-lined streets, but the old part of the city still hugs the banks of the Jin River in a charming tangle of narrow lanes and ancient two-story houses.

Of particular interest is the city's wide choice of restaurants, many of which offer menus in English. Sichuan food is now known worldwide among gastronomes, and is greatly appreciated by those who enjoy lively, spicy fare.

Although the general area has been settled since before written history. Chengdu first attained prominence during the Three Kingdoms period some eighteen hundred years ago, when it was the capital of the Kingdom of Shu (a name still popularly used as a synonym for Sichuan).

Agriculture and industry both play significant parts in Chengdu's economy. Sichuan's farms produce rice, wheat, vegetables, beef, pork, tea, medicinal herbs, tobacco and silk. Chengdu's busy factories produce tools, trucks, agricultural machinery, paper, cement, ball bearings and electronic goods.

Chengdu's climate is typical of cities located on high upland plateaus: the rage between summer and winter temperatures is extreme, so appropriate seasonal clothing is strongly advised.