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September 17, 2014

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Home » City specials » Chengdu

City shows cultural past with innovative future

AS a mixture of marvelous cultural heritage and futuristic innovation, Chengdu, capital of western China’s Sichuan Province, will stage an exhibition in Paris this week to demonstrate this fusion.

From today to Friday, Chengdu will host a show in partnership with Xi’an of Shaanxi Province and Luoyang of Henan Province in the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization under the name of “Silk Road and a Creative City.”

“We hope to showcase Chengdu’s long history, unique culture and its charm as a modern metropolis that helps the city become an engine of China’s social and economic growth,” organizers said.

The exhibition will be composed of five main sections: the city’s origin as the entry place of China’s southern Silk Road, its status as a world heritage city, its renowned food, its famous style of painting, and its growing clout in the fashion and creative industries.

Cultural relics including bronze masks and statues, gold scepters, jade and other jewels from Jinsha site will be among the many exhibits, which will be complemented by photos, poster boards, short movies, live performances and interactive activities that will help visitors learn about the city.

The archaeological artifacts are a reflection of Chengdu’s mysterious history and intriguing culture.

The Jinsha civilization came into being in Chengdu more than 3,000 years ago. The gold foil picture known as the Holy Bird of the Sun unearthed in Chengdu’s Jinsha site has become an urban image logo for the city as well as a symbol for Chinese cultural heritage protection.

Chengdu has had an urban civilization for 4,500 years; its location has not moved in the past 3,000 years, and its name remained the same for 2,500 years.

The city is home to the World Cultural Heritage site of Qingcheng Mountain. Built more than 2,200 years ago, the Dujiangyan water conservancy project continues to play an important role in maintaining the city’s water supply.

China’s world-renowned tea culture also originates here.

In addition, Chengdu has historically been a cherished place for intellectuals. Great poets including Li Bai and Du Fu in the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) both lived in Chengdu for some time when they produced many of their best works.

Delicious food also represents Chengdu’s culture. Its distinct tastes, selection of raw material, ways of cooking and the continuous evolvement earned it a UNESCO City of Gastronomy award in 2010 — Asia’s first city so honored.

Well known for its abundant distinctiveness, Chengdu cuisine’s most outstanding feature is the great variety of flavors, based on five elements: sweet, sour, bitter, spicy and salty. Popular food around the world, such as spicy hotpot, mapo tofu and kungpao chicken, are all originated from Chengdu.

The city is also China’s oldest base for the production of silk, which helps explain in part why Chengdu was the starting point of China’s southern Silk Road, a corridor leading to countries in Southeast Asia and southern Asia for exchanges in trade, culture, religion and art.

Under China’s ambition to reconstruct the ancient Silk Road, Chengdu is destined to play a key role in the project after the city has transformed into a poster for western development in the world’s second-largest economy.

Chengdu has become an ambassador of China’s innovation since it hosted the 2013 Fortune Global Forum. When international business leaders gathered in the city last year, they marveled at the progress and innovative capabilities.

Far-sighted foreign investors have long incorporated Chengdu into their strategic plans for China. According to the Chengdu Investment Promotion Commission, 255 of the Fortune 500 global companies have targeted the city for investment. That compares with just 42 in 2002.

Modern industries such as information technology and automobiles have already developed into mature chains that integrate suppliers, producers and various service providers.

IT giants such as Intel, Dell, Lenovo and Texas Instruments all have operations in Chengdu, while more than 80 percent of Apple’s iPads sold around the world are manufactured in the city. Automotive leaders like Volkswagen, Toyota, Volvo, FAW and Geely also do production in Chengdu.

Such elite companies not only come with advanced technologies, but also bring in strong impetus to reinforce the city’s innovation.

Chengdu is also a reform pioneer, as the city is among the first to submit an application to create a free trade zone.

As a transport hub, Chengdu is home to the busiest airport and bus stations in China’s western areas, which helps ideas spread. Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, the fourth largest air transport hub in China, currently offers 74 overseas routes. Chengdu also offers 72-hour visa-free transit for foreign visitors.

Innovation, lying in the veins of Chengdu, has been inspiring the city to achieve rapid growth in recent years. Chengdu opened China’s first municipal Bureau of Exposition, with a staff dedicated to promoting the convention and exhibition industry. It is China’s first “model city” in protecting intellectual property and the first to set up a government award system to encourage patent registration. It is also a pioneer in streamlining business approvals and among the first cities to operate 4G telecom services.




 

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