Chengdu and Leshan

Qinling Mountains on the way to Chengdu 

We had hoped to see many parts of China during this year at Xi’an Jiao tong University.  Unfortunately, COVID-19 forced us to change our plans.  However, in mid-July we were able to get to Chengdu.  This lovely city, capital of Sichuan province, is famous for spicy food, including hot pot and mapo tofu, and the giant panda.  The city is rich in history.  There are commemorative halls dedicated to figures from the epic historic novel, “The Romance of the Three Kingdoms” which describes the chaos of the warring states period of nearly 2,000 years ago.  The great Tang Dynasty poet, Du Fu, made his home there, living in a thatched cottage and writing some of his most famous poems.  The charming tea houses surrounded by cypress trees and lotus ponds make the perfect setting for contemplative poetry reading.  Finally, you can meditate on the impermanence of existence while viewing the world’s largest Buddha statue, just 40 minutes away by train in the riverside city of Leshan.    

Travel for me has always been about seeing new faces and meeting new people.  Chengdu brings to mind many faces.  First, I think of our friends originally from Chengdu, Ruxian and Lotus who love the city and told us about the things we must see and taste.  The traditional Sichuan variety show features an act called “bian lian”, literally “another face” where the performers’ masks change faster than you can say the Chinese for spicy, “la”.  This unforgettable magic is a must see when visiting Chengdu.  The calm, impassive face of the giant Leshan Buddha left me with a sense of wonder and peace.  Of all the faces though I saw on our trip, I think the sweet, charming face of the giant panda is still my favorite.   

Sichuan is the heartland of China: it produces more than 10% of China’s grain, soybeans and pork.  The year of the mouse in recent times has not been good for Sichuan:  in 2008 there was a massive earthquake and of course 2020 saw the arrival of COVID-19 everywhere.  However, the Sichuan people are resilient and the region has been developing almost as fast as a “bian lian” act.  For example, our 2014 version of our guide book, “Lonely Planet”, said that the typical train trip from Xi’an and Chengdu would take about 18 hours.  In the past few years, a high-speed rail network was completed and our journey took under 4 hours.   

              The four-hour train ride to Chengdu through the Qinling Mountains, the natural border between China’s north and south, was pleasant and picturesque.  We marveled at the landscape that might make you recall some Song Dynasty water colors.  After we arrived at our hotel, we went to the Trip.com application to book a tour to see the giant pandas.  Unfortunately, we found that Trip.com tours were cancelled due to COVID-19.  We wondered how we would be able to visit the sites.  The next morning, we headed off to the train station with the idea of buying some train tickets to visit the Leshan Buddha ourselves.  We had trouble buying tickets using the automatic kiosk and the ticket lines were long.  We were discussing what to do, when we happened to notice a travel agency.  We asked the woman at the counter if someone could take us to see the giant pandas.  One of the employees said that for 100 yuan (about $14.00) he could drive us to The Giant Panda Breeding Center, about a half an hour from the city center.   

The next thing we knew we were at the entrance.  The Panda Breeding Center is an impressive, sprawling park, complete with museums, videos, beautiful walk ways and of course, lots of pandas!  There must be at least 50 of them there.  They have both giant ones, the black and white ones you all know, as well as red pandas, a little bit fox and lemur like, also cute, but not as famous.  The layout of the place reminds me of the San Diego zoo, very lush, with gorgeous plants, winding paths, and marvelous vistas.  We spent most of the day there.  We thought we would try to get back to the hotel using mass transportation.  While waiting at a bus stop, we were lucky enough to find a helpful girl who was taking the bus to the subway.  Once we made it to the subway, we were able to get home.  That evening, we had some spicy hot pot: a perfect conclusion to a Chengdu first day. 

Our second day was spent visiting the past.  My student, Ursula, sent me an essay she wrote about the Wuhou Temple, Du Fu’s thatched cottage and the Jinli Gujie district, a kind of old fashioned neighborhood a few blocks where they sell souvenirs and delicious snacks.   Naturally, we had to check these places out.   

 In “The Romance of the Three Kingdoms”, one of the three kingdoms, Shu, was an independent state in Sichuan during this period, 220-280.  One of the most important figures in the story is Zhuge Liang.  Wuhou temple features an ancestral hall that was built to commemorate him.  Zhuge Liang (181-234) was a famous statesman, strategist, scholar and apparently the inventor of Baozi, that wonderful Chinese breakfast bun filled with either vegetables or meat or a bit of both. Zhuge Liang was also known for carrying feathered fan.  There are numerous movies and dramas dedicated to this period of Chinese history.  

Zhuge Liang

Zhuge Liang in a drama

Near the Wuhou temple is the thatched cottage of the Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu.  This peaceful site is filled with cypress trees and bamboo.  There is an extensive collection of his poems in the museum next to his cottage.  He was active during the Tang’s glory as well as at the start of its decline.  Like his friend and fellow poet Li Bai, he was brilliant, but failed the Imperial examinations and so could not get a government post.  He spent many years traveling and writing poetry.

Here is a sample of his poetry.  With just a few words, he can create such lively, powerful images. 

I Stand Alone

A falcon hovers at the edge of the sky.

Two gulls drift slowly up the river.

Vulnerable while they ride the wind,

they coast and glide with ease.

Dew is heavy on the grass below,

the spider’s web is ready.

Heaven’s ways include the human:

among a thousand sorrows, I stand alone.

Du Fu

Du Fu

            On the third day we visited the cute, touristy streets, the” kuan alley and zhai alley”, literally “narrow and wide alleys”.  The area is lined with shops selling local snacks, souvenirs, including just about every kind of panda apparel and toy you could imagine.  We made our way to the Shufengyayun Tea house for a traditional Sichuan variety show which featured the famous “bian lian”. 

We attended an 8:00 PM performance.  There was a young, beautiful MC with a figure hugging, shimmery blue dress with a dragon across it who came out to announce the acts.  They included orchestral music, an “er hu” (a 2-string instrument bowed like a cello) performance, horn performance (sounded a bit like a cross between an oboe and a kazoo) , acrobatics,  hand shadow puppeteer, a comedy sketch and the fantastic face changing performance.  Our favorite was an amazing dancing puppeteer.  He did the famous “Butterfly Lover’s” dance. His puppet came alive and really seemed like a young girl.   The hand shadow performer was also very good.  We might have been the only non-Chinese people in the audience!  It was fun to feel like part of the community.  

Sichuan theater performer

Shadow rabbit

Our last stop was the Leshan Buddha.  We were able to get a morning train for the 40-minute ride to Leshan.  From the train station, it was easy to find a 2-yuan bus to take us to the Buddha.  This Buddha is certainly grand in many ways.  It’s 1200 years old and is carved into a cliff overlooking the Dadu River.  He is 71 meters tall and one of his big toes is more than twice as tall as a man.  Visiting the Buddha involves quite a bit of walking and stair climbing.  I definitely felt I had done a work out by the time the visit was over.  The grounds are extensive and included other temples and Buddhist monuments

Traveling is more than just seeing new places.  It’s about connecting with the local people and culture.  Our short journey into Sichuan opened new vistas.  It was exciting and inspired me to learn more China’s great history and culture.  Finally, I think I am going to give “The Romance of the Three Kingdoms” another shot, but I think I’ll need to find a comic book version for kids.