richest agricultural plains, Chengdu has an area of 12,300 square km with a
population of about 10 million distributed among eight districts, four outlying
cities and eight counties. About 3.5 million people reside in the downtown.
'Becoming a Capital' in Chinese, Chengdu is renowned as one of the 24
well-known historical cities in China. The ancestors of the Shu people (in
ancient times, Sichuan province was called Shu Kingdom) lived in Chengdu more
than 3,700 years ago. About 2,300 years ago, Kai Ming, the ninth king of the
ancient Shu Kingdom moved his capital to today's Chengdu. It was at that time
that Chengdu got its present name. In 256BC, the famous irrigation systems --
Dujiangyan was built by the local people under the guidance of the Shu County
Governor Bing Li and his son. Since then the Chengdu plain has never had any
flood or drought disasters and its farm and handicraft industries have
prospered. The Chengdu plain has hence been referred to as the "Kingdom of Heaven". After that, Chengdu had become the state capital of Sichuan, and an important political, economic, cultural and military center in Southwestern China. During the Han Dynasty (206-220AD), Chengdu, as one of the 5 famous cities, was known as the "City of Brocade," and becoming so prosperous that it gained the nickname "Storehouse of Heaven." It was the Capital of the Shu-Han Kingdom in the Three Kingdoms period (220-280AD), where the famous Martial Marquis Zhuge Liang was the Prime Minister. It was the best commercial city second to Yangzhou only in Tang Dynasty (618-907AD). Under the Five Dynasties (907-960AD), the local warlord planted so much hibiscus on the city walls (since destroyed) that it was well known as the "City of Hibiscus." Chengdu was also the second largest cosmopolitan city of the North Song Dynasty (960-1127AD) next to its capital city Bianjing (Kaifeng), where Jiaozi, the earliest paper currency in the world, was first circulated. Because of its special economic strength and geographic location in Southwestern China, Chengdu has also been an important political center in the region. At least seven local separatist governments were organized in Chengdu. During these 2,300 years, Chengdu has never changed its name or location despite many upheavals, and it has always been the capital of Sichuan province.
Over the 2310 years, numerous famous statesmen, writers, and artists were born or bred in Chengdu area including Laozi (Lao Tzu), Li Bing, Sima Xiangru, Zhuo Wenjun, Zhuge Liang, Li Bai, Du Fu, Xue Tao, Wang Jian, Lu You, Su Xun, Su Shi, Shu Zhe, Ba Jin, Ai Wu, Sha Ding, Guo Moruo, Liu Shahe, Xu Beihong, and Zhang Daqian.
By far, Chengdu has experienced great modernization, with many things to explore, such as the Beijing-style boulevards, tea house, flea markets, pedlar markets, commercial districts, underground shopping malls. In addition, the indoor food markets and the countless tiny restaurants specializing in spicy Sichuan cuisine, all these will make you feel it one of the most intriguing cities in China. Chengdu is also a gateway to
mysterious Tibet.
In recent years, Chengdu also emerges as a high-tech center in western China. See a feature article in the June issue of the IEEE Spectrum on China's Tech Revolution where Chengdu is extensively reported.
The ICESS 2008 venue in ChengDu will be determined in the near future. Please keep notice of it.
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