Its Chinese name, ' Four Rivers', refers to four of the more than 80 mighty rivers spilling across the province, weaving their way down through the soaring mountains of the north-west and across the Chuanxi plain in the east.

Sichuan is the largest province in the sourth-west, with a population displaying as much diversity as its landscape. While the east supports one of the densest rural populations in the world, the west rises in giant steps to the Tibetan plateau, where green tea becomes butter tea and Confucianism yields to Buddhism. These windswept grasslands and deep forests are home to the Qiang and Tibetans.

Sichuan's mountianous terrian and fast rivers have kept it relatively isolated until the present era, with much of the western fringe still fairly remote. Such inaccessibility has given Sichuan its own food, dialect and character and made it the site of various breakaway kingdoms throughout Chinese history. It was here that the kingdom of Shu ruled as an independent state during the Three Kingdoms Period ( AD220-80). Sichuan became famous during the Warring States period ( 475-221BC), when a famed engineer, Li Bing, managed to harness Du He on the Chuanxi plain with his weir system, allowing Sichuan some 2200 continuous years of irrigation and prosperity, that is the nowadays Dujiangyan Irrigation System.

The Chinese often refer to Sichuan as the Heavenly Kingdom ( Tian Fu Zhi Guo), a reference to the province's abundance in natural resources and cultural heritage. Sichuan boasts a lot of mountains, rivers and historic relics. UNESCO inscribed Jiuzhaigou, Hulong scenic area, Mount Emei with the Leshan Giant Buddha, and Mount Qingcheng-Dujiangyan Irrigation Project on the World Heritage List in 1992, 1996 and 2000 respectively. Sichuan is still the home of the national treasure-the Giant Panda, more than 850 pandas (about 85 per cent of the world's rare giant pandas) inhabit in this province. The Yangtze River (6,300 kilometers), the world's third longest river flows through the province from west to east.

Chengdu

Chengdu is the capital of 'Heavenly State' (Tian Fu Zhi Guo) Sichuan, habitat of giant pandas and city of cotton-rose hibiscus. Located in the west of Sichuan Basin and in the center of Chengdu Plain, Chengdu covers a total area of 12.3 thousand square kilometres  with a population of over 11 million.

Benefiting from Dujiangyan Irrigation Project which was constructed in 256 B.C., Sichuan Province is reputed as 'Tian Fu Zhi Guo', literally a place richly endowed with natural resources. Chengdu, as the capital, is extremely productive. The Min and Tuo Rivers, two branches of the Yangtze River, connected to forty other rivers, supply an irrigation area of more than 700 square kilometres (270.27 square miles) with 150-180 million kilowatts of water. Consisting of abundant mineral resources, the land is extremely fertile.

The history of Chengdu can be traced back 2,400 when the first emperor built his capital here and named the city. Through thousands of years its original name has been kept and its position as the capital and as the significant center of politics, commerce and military of the Sichuan area (once called Shu) has remained unchanged. Since the Han (206B.C.-220) and Tang (618-907) Dynasties when its handicraft industry flourished, Chengdu has been famous for its brocades and embroideries. Shu embroideries still enjoy a high reputation for their bright colors and delicate designs, ranking among the four main embroideries in China. Chengdu was the place where the bronze culture, an indispensable part of ancient Chinese culture, originated, the place where the Southern Silk Road started, and the place where the earliest paper currency, Jiaozi (not the dumpling!), was first printed. It is listed among the first 24 state-approved historical and cultural cities and owns 23 state and provincial cultural relic units.

In addition to its profound historical and cultural background featuring historic places of interest such as the Thatched Cottage of Du Fu, Wuhou Memorial Temple and Wenshu Monastery, etc, natural beauty abounds in surrounding areas such as in the Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area and Huang Long Valley. The natural habitat of giant pandas, Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Center, supports the world's only giant panda breeding and research base.

Sampling the famous Sichuan cuisine is a must on a trip to Chengdu. Enjoying the food as well as the culture, shopping and having tea at a teahouse afford a deeper understanding of Chengdu.