Tourists visits panda in Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Foundation

Sichuan, in China's western hinterland, covers most of the Sichuan Basin. Surrounded by mountains, it has a mild climate. Sichuan covers a vast area of 485,000 sq km, accounting for 5.1% of China's total area. The reserves of hydropower resources in Sichuan come to 150 million kw, second only to Tibet, and the exploitable potential is over 100 million kw, more than any other area in China.

Sichuan boasts of 132 verified mineral resources. It leads the country in reserves of vanadium, titanium, calcium, mirabilite, fluorite, natural gas, and sulfur iron, and leads the world in reserves of titanium. Its reserves of vanadium ranks third in the world.

The pleasant climate provides a favorable environment for plants and animals. The forests cover a total area of 7.46 million ha. Sichuan is home to one-fifth of the country's dawn redwoods and Cathaya argyrophylla, two species so old they are regarded as living fossils. It is also rich in animal resources. There are over 1,000 kinds of vertebrates, accounting for 40% of the country. Among them are 55 kinds of rare animals. The well-known giant pandas inhabit mainly in 36 counties and natural reserves of four mountain ranges within the territory of Sichuan.
Sichuan has three World Cultural and Natural heritages: the Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area, the Huanglong Scenic Area, and Emei Mountain with the Leshan Giant Buddha; nine state-class scenic areas, including the Dujiangyan Irrigation System, Qingcheng Mountain, the Sea of Bamboo in southern Sichuan; 11 national forest parks; 40 nature reserves, 44 provincial-class scenic areas. Almost every variety of tourist resources is available here: plateaus, mountains, ravines, basins, hills, plains, rivers, lakes, hot springs, waterfalls, limestone caves, and even danxia formation.

Majestic panorama of Leshan Statue of Buddha

Leshan, is 152 kilometers away from Chengdu. Located in the southwest of the Sichuan Basin, Leshan has rich products, prosperous economy, and plentiful historic sites and fascinating sights, there is a famous scenic spot for tourists in Sichuan Province. The world-famous Leshan Statue of Buddha the largest Buddha state in the world. It attracts thousands of the visitors at home and abroad every year. To the great surprise of the visitors, of recent years another huge Sleeping Figure of Buddha has been discovered. The visitors all sigh with emotion the mystical, majestic and beautiful land, which has made a lasting pleasant impression on them.

The beautiful sunrise of Mt. Emei

Mt. Emei is located in Leshan City, Sichuan Province. It is towering, beautiful, old and mysterious. Mt. Emei is like a huge green screen standing in the southwest of the Chengdu Plain. It is the highest one among all the famous sight-seeing mountains in China. In Mt. Emei there are four scenic regions: Baoguo Temple, Wannian Temple, Qingyin Pavilion and Golden Summit. The trees are verdant almost all the year round; the waterfalls are splendid; the whole scenery is beautiful and quiet. The landscape varies according to the seasons, the height of mountain and the climate.

Fascinating snowscape of Four Maiden Mountain

Four Maiden Mountain, with a total area of 450 sq. km, is situated in Xiaojin County, Aba Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, 220 km from Chengdu. The main peak with majestic view is 6250 meters above sea level. The scenic area is made up of three scenic spots. The scenery of the Four Maiden Mountain are fascinating, primitive and peaceful. Mountain peaks here are precipitous; forests are verdant and dense; grassy marsh lands are like green cushions; streams wing through the valleys; together with glittering glaciers, flying waterfalls, lake wrapping in clouds, rare fowls and strange animals, adding radiance and beauty to each other and creating three brilliant painted corridors.

The Gongga Shan Range – presents tourists with a new era of snowy peaks & glaciers

The Gongga Shan range, named after its highest peak Gongga Shan (30° N, 102° E, 7,556 m), is located in the transition zone between the Tibetan Plateau and the South Chinese plains. With a vertical difference of more than 6,300 m within a horizontal distance of only 11km, the eastward drop towards the Sichuan Basin is one of the largest in the world. At the same altitude the western slope is clearly warmer and drier than the eastern slope that is exposed to the summer monsoon. The upper limits of the various gynecological belts are up to 300 m higher on the western than on the eastern slope. This asymmetry cannot be explained by topoclimatological effects but by the mass-elevation effect of the Tibetan Plateau. It is regarded as a typical characteristic of the ranges bordering the Plateau. In contrast to other Chinese mountain ranges, the Gongga Shan range still has an extensive area of primary coniferous and deciduous forests up to an elevation of 4,000 m. The current policy of unrestricted

The earthly paradise – Jiuzhaigou

Jiuzhaigou has an unusual ecosystem with dozens of pristine lakes, waterfalls, forests and rare animals, is located in Jiuzhai County, 460 kilometers (about 286 miles) away from Chengdu. There goes a saying: no mountain is worth seeing after Mt. Huangshan and no other water will be of interest after Jiuzhaigou. If there are 'fairylands' in the world, Jiuzhaigou is certainly one of them. This site has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Animal diplomat – panda

Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Foundation is a non-profit organization for the study and protection of the giant panda. Since 1987, the Foundation has been working hard on giant panda ex-situ breeding, scientific research, and domestic and international cooperation. Also more than 80﹪ of giant pandas left in the world are living in and around Sichuan. The lovely panda living on arrow bamboo is now attracting more and more visitors with its unique postures and also wins the province the reputation of “the Hometown of Giant Pandas”