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84-466: Pitong , the seat of Pidu, is located 10 kilometers (6.2 mi) from downtown Chengdu . It covers an area of 437.5 square kilometers (168.9 sq mi). During the Warring States period , the area of the present Pidu belonged to the ancient kingdom of Shu . In 314   BC, it was conquered by the state of Qin , which organized Pi County two years later in 312   BC. In the 19th century,

168-513: A metropolis or a capital). The present spelling is based on pinyin romanization ; its Postal Map romanization was "Chengtu". Its former status as the seat of the Chengdu Prefecture prompted Marco Polo 's spellings "Sindafu", "Sin-din-fu", &c. and the Protestant missionaries ' romanization "Ching-too Foo". Although the official name of the city has remained (almost) constant,

252-503: A 500-member underground church, the Early Rain Covenant Church , led by Pastor Wang Yi . Over 100 members of the church were arrested including the pastor and his wife. The church's kindergarten and theological college were raided and the church's media outlets were closed down. Before his arrest, church member Li Yingqiang declared: "Even if we are down to our last five, worship and gatherings will still go on because our faith

336-584: A large 5-star hotel, a skating rink and a 15,000-spot parking area. According to the 2020 Chinese census , the municipality had 20,937,757 inhabitants; the metropolitan area itself was home to 16,045,577 inhabitants including those of the 12 urban districts plus Guanghan City ( in Deyang ). Chengdu is the largest city in Sichuan and the fourth largest in China. 21,192,000 for 2021 , adding more residents than any other city in

420-693: A level head-on attack against an incoming coming raid of 72 IJANF G3M bombers (Capt. Cen chose this tactic knowing that the operation of the Hispano-Suiza HS.404 20mm autocannon in his D.510 is likely to fail under the g-loads of a high-deflection diving attack), with Capt. Cen pummeling the lead G3M of the IJN's 13th Kōkūtai's CO Captain Kikushi Okuda with cannon fire, sending the G3M crashing down in flames over Chengdu, along with three other G3M bombers destroyed in

504-664: A mixture of descriptive prose and verse during the Tang dynasty; Li Bai and Du Fu , the most eminent poets of the Tang and Song dynasties respectively; Yang Shen'an , a famous scholar of the Ming dynasty; and Guo Moruo and Ba Jin , two well-known modern writers. Chang Qu , a historian of Chengdu during the Jin dynasty, compiled the earliest local historical records, the Record of Hua Yang State . Zhao Chongzuo ,

588-668: A poet in Chengdu during the Later Shu Kingdom, edited Among the Flowers , the first anthology of Ci in China's history. Meng Chang , the king of Later Shu, wrote the first couplet for the Spring Festival, which says, "A harvest year accepts celebrations, good festivals foreshadow long springs." In 2023, Chengdu hosted the 81st World Science Fiction Convention , having beat out Winnipeg, Canada, in site-selection voting in 2021. During

672-616: A separate ancient bronze-wielding culture that, following its partial sinification , became known to the Chinese as Shu . Shu was conquered by Qin in 316   BC, and the settlement was re-founded by Qin general Zhang Yi . In the early stage of the Xia dynasty or even earlier, the ancient Shu Kingdom located on the Chengdu Plain has formed a relatively developed bronze civilization, becoming an important source of Chinese civilization and one of

756-621: Is Daxuetang (also known as Miaojiling) in Xiling Snow Mountain in Dayi County, with an altitude of 5,364 meters. The lowest point is the river bank at the exit of Tuojiang River in Jianyang City, with an altitude of 359 meters. Chengdu has a monsoon -influenced humid subtropical climate ( Köppen Cwa ) and is largely warm with high relative humidity all year. It has four distinct seasons, with moderate rainfall concentrated mainly in

840-401: Is a transliteration of ancient Shu place names. There is a saying that "Guangdu, Xindu and Chengdu" are collectively referred to as the "Three Capitals of Ancient Shu". Nowadays, there are many cultural relics of ancient Shu Kingdom in Chengdu Plain, such as Sanxingdui Ruins, Jinsha Ruins, Yufu Ancient City Ruins, Wangcong Temple, etc. Jinsha Ruins located in the urban area of Chengdu is a peak of

924-551: Is also home to a large primitive forest with abundant biological resources and a giant panda habitat. East of Chengdu stands the low Longquan Mountains and the west bordering area of the hilly land of middle reaches of Min River , an area noted by several converging rivers. Since ancient times, Chengdu has been known as "the Abundant Land" owing to its fertile soil, favorable climate, and novel Dujiangyan Irrigation System. Chengdu

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1008-429: Is also planned to be self-sustaining, with every residence being a two-minute walk from a park. In 2019, Chengdu overtook Shenzhen , China's technology hub, as the best-performing Chinese economy. The city has surged in population in the last two decades. Investments into a Europe-Chengdu Express Railway have been made, providing even more opportunity for the city to grow. As a way to preserve farmland and accommodate

1092-485: Is also the principal hub and headquarters for Sichuan Airlines and Chengdu Airlines . China Eastern Airlines , China Southern Airlines , Shenzhen Airlines , Lucky Air , and Tibet Airlines also have bases at Chengdu Shuangliu Airport. The airport, formerly named Shuangguisi Airport , opened as a military-owned airport in 1938 during the Second Sino-Japanese War / World War II . At the time, its runway

1176-497: Is attested in sources dating back to the Warring States period . It has been called the only major city in China to have remained at an unchanged location with an unchanged name throughout the imperial , republican , and communist eras. However, it also had other names; for example, it was briefly known as "Xijing" (Western Capital) in the 17th century. Etymology of the name is unclear. The earliest and most widely known explanation, although not generally accepted by modern scholars,

1260-479: Is borrowed from the history of the establishment of the capital in the Western Zhou dynasty. The allusions of Zhou Wang Qianqi's "one year, he lived in a cluster, two years became a city, and three years Chengdu," because of the name Chengdu, it has been used to this day. Therefore, Chengdu has become a rare city in China and the world that has not changed its name since its establishment. Some people think that Chengdu

1344-571: Is concentrated in July and August, with very little of it in the cooler months. Chengdu also has one of the lowest annual sunshine totals nationally, with less sunshine annually than much of Northern Europe. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 15 percent in December to 32 percent in August, the city receives 1006 hours of bright sunshine annually. Spring (March–April) tends to be sunnier and warmer in

1428-619: Is considered one of the best cities in China to live. It is also a national central city of China. Chengdu is one of the world's top 25 cities by scientific research output , and home to the greatest number of universities and research institutes in Western China, notably Sichuan University , University of Electronic Science and Technology of China , Southwestern University of Finance and Economics , Southwest Jiaotong University , Chengdu University of Technology , Sichuan Normal University , and Xihua University . The name Chengdu

1512-450: Is hot and humid, but not to the extent of the " Three Furnaces " cities of Chongqing , Wuhan , and Nanjing , all of which lie in the Yangtze basin. The 24-hour daily mean temperature in July and August is around 25 °C (77 °F), with afternoon highs sometimes reaching 33 °C (91 °F); sustained heat as found in much of eastern China is rare. Rainfall occurs most frequently and

1596-611: Is located at the western edge of the Sichuan Basin and sits on the Chengdu Plain ; the dominating terrain is plains. The prefecture ranges in latitude from 30° 05' to 31° 26' N, while its longitude ranges from 102° 54' to 104° 53' E, stretching for 192 kilometers (119 mi) from east to west and 166 km (103 mi) south to north, administering 12,390 km (4,780 sq mi) of land. Neighboring prefectures are Deyang (NE), Ziyang (SE), Meishan (S), Ya'an (SW), and

1680-480: Is located has an elevation ranging from 450 to 720 meters (1,480 to 2,360 feet). Northwest Chengdu is bordered by the high and steep Longmen Mountains in the north-west and in the west by the Qionglai Mountains , the elevation of which exceeds 3,000 m (9,800 ft) and includes Miao Jiling (5,364 m, 17,598 ft) and Xiling Snow Mountain (5,164 m, 16,942 ft). The western mountainous area

1764-425: Is one of the oldest airports in China. The airport became the third-busiest airport in the world in 2020. Located about 16 kilometers (10 mi) southwest of downtown Chengdu to the north of Shuangliu , Chengdu Shuangliu Airport is an important aviation hub for Western China . Chengdu Shuangliu Airport is one of the two core hubs for Air China , the other being Beijing Capital International Airport . The airport

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1848-755: Is planned for most international and cargo routes to be moved away from Shuangliu Airport, which is to mainly operate domestic flights going forward. China Southwest Airlines once had its headquarters on the airport property. It costs about RMB 60 Yuan from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport to the city centre of Chengdu. Passengers can take the CRH train at Shuangliu Airport railway station to Chengdu South railway station and Chengdu East railway station ; single tickets are about ¥11 (US$ 1.5). The CRH trains at Shuangliu Airport railway station are also bound for Mianyang, Deyang, Meishan Dong (East), Leshan railway and Emeishan railway stations. Two stations on Line 10 of

1932-482: Is provided in the 10th-century geographical work Universal Geography of the Taiping Era , which states that the ninth king of Shu 's Kaiming dynasty named his new capital Chengdu after a statement by King Tai of Zhou that a settlement needed "one year to become a town, two to become a city, and three to become a metropolis." (The character for cheng 成 may mean "turned into" while du 都 can mean either

2016-478: Is real. […] Persecution is a price worth paying for the Lord." Police are said to have told one member that the church had been declared an illegal organisation. Chinese media were banned from reporting the events. Video footage which found its way onto western social media showed arrests and photographs alleged to be of injuries inflicted by the police. From a photo of M s . Jiang's detention warrant it appears that

2100-473: Is the capital city of the Chinese province of Sichuan . With a population of 20,937,757 at the 2020 census , it is the fourth most populous city in China , and it is the only city with a population of over 20 million apart from direct-administered municipalities . It is traditionally the hub of Western China . Chengdu is in central Sichuan. The surrounding Chengdu Plain is known as the "Country of Heaven" and

2184-529: Is the third Chinese city with two international airports after Beijing and Shanghai. Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport , and the newly built Tianfu International Airport , a hub of Air China and Sichuan Airlines , is one of the 30 busiest airports in the world, and the Chengdu railway station is one of the six biggest in China. Chengdu is considered a "Beta + (global second-tier)" city classification (together with Barcelona and Washington, D.C.) according to

2268-663: The Airbus A380 . On 9 June 2014, United Airlines began operating a nonstop service from San Francisco to Chengdu, connecting central China to the United States non-stop for the first time. Service to the US has since expanded, as Hainan Airlines now offers nonstop service from Chengdu to Los Angeles and began nonstop service to New York–JFK in October 2017. With the opening of Chengdu Tianfu International Airport on 27 June 2021, it

2352-583: The GaWC . As of 2023, the city also hosts 23 foreign consulates, the fourth most in China behind Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. Chengdu is the seat of the Western Theater Command region of the People's Liberation Army . In 2023, Chengdu became the third Chinese city to host the 31st FISU Summer World University Games , after Beijing 2001 and Shenzhen 2011 . Chengdu will also host the 2025 World Games . It

2436-468: The Kuomintang (KMT) government under Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek ultimately retreated to Sichuan to escape from the invading Japanese forces. They brought with them into Sichuan business people, workers, and academics who founded many of the industries and cultural institutions which continue to make Chengdu an important cultural and commercial production center. Chengdu became a military center for

2520-707: The Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture (N). The urban area, with an elevation of 500 m (1,600 ft), features a few rivers, three of them being the Jin , Fu , and Sha Rivers . Outside of the immediate urban area, the topography becomes more complex: to the east lies the Longquan Mountains ( 龙泉山脉 ) and the Penzhong Hills ( 盆中丘陵 ); to the west lie the Qionglai Mountains , which rise to 5,364 m (17,598 ft) in Dayi County. The highest point in Chengdu

2604-567: The Western Han ; the "Hibiscus City" (Rongcheng, 蓉 城), from the hibiscus which King Meng Chang of the Later Shu ordered planted upon the city wall during the 10th century . According to Étienne de la Vaissière , "Baghshūr" ( lit.   ' pond of salt water ' ) may be the Sogdian name for the region of Chengdu. This toponym is attested near Merv , but not far from Chengdu are found

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2688-489: The "Land of Abundance". Its prehistoric settlers included the Sanxingdui culture. The site of Dujiangyan , an ancient irrigation system, is designated as a World Heritage Site . The Jin River flows through the city. Chengdu's culture largely reflects that of its province, Sichuan; in 2011, it was recognized by UNESCO as a city of gastronomy. It is associated with the giant panda , a Chinese national symbol, which inhabits

2772-572: The 1960s, Chengdu became an important defense industry hub. Chengdu is now one of the most important economic, financial, commercial, cultural, transportation, research and communication centers in China. Its economy is diverse, characterized by the machinery , automobile , medicine, food, and information technology industries. Chengdu is a leading financial hub, ranking 35th globally the 2021 Global Financial Centres Index . Chengdu also hosts many international companies; more than 300 Fortune 500 companies have established branches in Chengdu. Chengdu

2856-687: The American XX Bomber Command launched Operation Matterhorn , an ambitious plan to base B-29 Superfortresses in Chengdu and strategically bomb the Japanese Home Islands . The operating base was located in Xinjin Airport in the southwestern part of the Chengdu metropolitan area. Because the operation required a massive airlift of fuel and supplies over the Himalayas, it was not a significant military success, but it did earn Chengdu

2940-698: The Chengdu raid that day. With the death of Captain Okuda in the air battle over Chengdu, the IJN Kaigun-daisa ( 海軍大佐 ) became the highest-ranking IJN Air officer to be killed-in-action in the War of Resistance/World War II thus far. In mid-late 1940, unknown to the Americans and European allies, the Imperial Japanese appeared in the skies over Chongqing and Chengdu with the world's most advanced fighter plane at

3024-686: The Chinese Air Force Major Wong Sun-shui , Captain Cen Zeliu and Lieutenant Lin Heng (younger brother of renowned architect and poet Lin Huiyin ) flying in their I-15 fighter planes were all killed over Shuangliu air base as a result of battling against the most advanced fighter aircraft of the time; the Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" (Reisen) fighter, in defense of Chengdu on 14 March 1941. When

3108-540: The Cultural Revolution, the Sï-Shen-Tsï Methodist Church building was no longer in use and the building was entrusted to the nearby Chengdu City Second People's Hospital for management. The hospital used the chapel as a kindergarten and the office of the hospital equipment department. In 1984, the hospital returned the chapel building to the church. In December 2018 the authorities attempted to close

3192-580: The Han dynasty, Chengdu's literature and art also reached a high level. All the most famous literary masters in the Han dynasty were from Chengdu, including Sima Xiangru, Yang Xiong, and Wang Bao. In the former Han dynasty, the whole country was divided into 14 prefectural governors' departments, among which the Yizhou governor was established in Luoxian (now Guanghan City, Sichuan), and the governor later moved to Chengdu. In

3276-627: The KMT to regroup in the War of Resistance . Chengdu was beyond the reach of the Imperial Japanese ground forces and escort fighter planes. However, the Japanese frequently flew in the then-highly advanced twin-engine long-ranged G3M "Nell" medium bombers to conduct massive aerial bombardments of both civilian and military targets in Chongqing and Chengdu . The massed formation of the G3M bombers provided heavy firepower against Chinese fighter planes assigned to

3360-593: The Middle Ages. During World War II , refugees from eastern China fleeing from the Japanese settled in Chengdu. After the war, Chengdu was briefly the capital of the Nationalist republican government until it withdrew to Taipei on the island of Taiwan . Under the PRC, Chengdu's importance as a link between Eastern China and Western China expanded, with railways built to Chongqing in 1952, and Kunming and Tibet afterward. In

3444-612: The Song, a rebel leader set up a short-lived kingdom known as Great Shu ( 大蜀 , Dàshǔ ). Allegedly the Mongols called for the death of a million people in the city but the city's population had less than 30,000 residents (not Chengdu prefecture). The aged males who had not fled were killed while in typical fashion, the women, children and artisans were enslaved and deported. During the Yuan dynasty , most of Sichuan's residents were deported to Hunan during

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3528-783: The United States was shocked into World War II with the Pearl Harbor attack , the airport became known as " Shwangliu Airfield " as it was later used by the United States Army Air Forces Fourteenth Air Force as part of the China Defensive Campaign (1942–1945). It was used as a fighter base by the 33d Fighter Group , which flew P-47 Thunderbolt fighter-bombers from the airport in 1944 to support Chinese ground forces, and also by reconnaissance units that operated camera-equipped P-38 Lightnings that located Japanese forces and provided intelligence to

3612-639: The area of Sichuan; the city is home to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding . Founded by the Kingdom of Shu in 4th century BC, Chengdu is unique as the only major Chinese settlement that has maintained its name unchanged throughout the imperial , republican , and communist eras for more than two thousand years. It was the capital of Liu Bei 's Shu Han Empire during the Three Kingdoms Era, as well as several other local kingdoms during

3696-480: The area was famed for the quality of its tobacco , reckoned the best in Sichuan . It is now seeking to attract electronics and IT corporations and, in 2015, applied for elevation to urban district status. The district seat is Pitong Subdistrict. There are 9 subdistricts and 3 towns in the district: This Sichuan location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Chengdu Chengdu

3780-527: The authorities have charged the church's leaders with "inciting subversion of state power," which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years. Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport ( IATA : CTU , ICAO : ZUUU ; traditionally as Chengdu Airport ) is one of two international airports serving Chengdu , the capital of Sichuan province in Southwestern China . Built in 1938 and expanded for eight times, it

3864-455: The birthplaces of the Chinese nation. According to records, there were five dynasties in the ancient Shu Kingdom, and their capitals were Qushang (now Wenjiang District, Chengdu), Piyi (now Pidu District), Xindu, and Guangdu. At the end of the Spring and Autumn period (around the 4th century BC), the fifth King Kaiming moved the capital to Chengdu. According to "Taiping Huanyu Ji", the name of the city

3948-413: The city of Chengdu is to make the city 'a city within a park' rather than creating parks within a city. The Great City falls in line with the Chengdu 'park city' initiative, prioritizing the environment, public space and quality of life. It will consist of 15% park and green space and be situated on a 1.3 km (0.50 sq mi) area. Although 25% of the space will be dedicated to roads, one half of

4032-577: The city without any resistance after a deal was negotiated between the People's Liberation Army and the commander of the KMT Army guarding the city. On 10 December the remnants of the Nationalist Chinese government evacuated to Taiwan . The Chengdu Tianfu New Area is a sustainable planned city that will be outside of Central Chengdu, and is expected to be completely built later in the decade. The city

4116-410: The city. Li Bai praised it as "lying above the empyrean ." The city's present Caotang ("Grass Hall") was constructed in 1078 in honor of an earlier, more humble structure of that name erected by Du Fu in 760, the second year of his 4-year stay. The Taoist Qingyang Gong ("Green Goat Temple") was built in the 9th century. Chengdu was the capital of Wang Jian 's Former Shu from 907 to 925, when it

4200-710: The country's cigar and cigarette production, the rest of the country long continuing to consume snuff instead. In 1911, Chengdu's branch of the Railway Protection Movement helped trigger the Wuchang Uprising , which led to the Xinhai Revolution that overthrew the Qing dynasty. During World War II , the capital city of China was forced to move inland from Nanjing to Wuhan in 1937 and from Wuhan to Chengdu, then from Chengdu to Chongqing in 1938, as

4284-418: The country. As of 2015, the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) estimated the Chengdu metropolitan area's population to be 18.1 million. In 2006, China Daily named Chengdu China's fourth-most-livable city. Some of China's most important literature comes from Chengdu. The city has been home to literary giants, such as Sima Xiangru and Yang Xiong , two masters of Fu ,

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4368-405: The court accepted Liu Yan's suggestion and changed the provincial governors to state shepherds with actual recruitment and command power. In the fifth year of Chuping (194), it moved to Chengdu. At that time, the Yizhou Provincial Governor's Department was the place where the Hu people in the Western Regions were operating. Under the Han , the brocade produced in Chengdu became fashionable and

4452-433: The day than autumn (October–November). The annual mean is 16.9 °C (62.4 °F), and extremes have ranged from −6.5 °C (20 °F) to 39.4 °C (102.9 °F). Chengdu is a sub-provincial city which has served as the capital of Sichuan since Chongqing 's restoration to provincial status in 1997. It has direct jurisdiction over 12 districts , 5 county-level cities and 3 counties : As of July 2013,

4536-500: The defense of Chongqing and Chengdu, which continued to cause problems for the Japanese attacks. Slow and vulnerable obsolescent Chinese fighter aircraft burning low-grade fuel were still sufficiently dangerous in the hands of capable pilots against the Japanese schnellbomber - terror bombing raiders; on 4 November 1939 for instance, Capt. Cen Zeliu ( Wade-Giles : Shen Tse-Liu ) led his 17th Fighter Squadron, 5th Fighter Group of seven cannon-equipped Dewoitine D.510 fighters in

4620-411: The development of ancient Shu culture. The Golden Mask of the Shang and Zhou dynasties at the Jinsha Site. The ancient state of Shu was the first target to be conquered by the Qin state in the process of unifying the world. King Huiwen of Qin had prepared for this for many years, and opened up the Shiniu Road (that is, the Jinniu Road) from Qin to Shu. In 316 BC, King Huiwen of Qin took advantage of

4704-455: The distinction of launching the first serious retaliation against the Japanese homeland. During the Chinese Civil War , Chengdu was the last city on the Chinese mainland to be held by the Kuomintang. President Chiang Kai-shek and his son Chiang Ching-kuo directed the defense of the city from the Chengdu Central Military Academy ( 黄埔军校成都分校 ) until 1949, when Communist forces took the city on 27 December . The People's Liberation Army took

4788-426: The doors of Chengtu's first Protestant Mission Headquarters were opened with over one thousand people of the community attending. The first Methodist religious service was held the following Sunday with only several attendants. The first western dispensary in Sichuan was opened 3 November 1892 with sixteen patients seeking care. The mission site became so popular that a larger space was secured near Chengtu's East Gate in

4872-587: The fighter-bombers. The Americans closed their facilities at Shwangliu Airfield at the end of August 1945. On 12 December 1956, the Shuangguisi Airport was put under civil aviation, which was then formally listed as a civil aviation airport and renamed Chengdu Shuangliu Airport. In 1957, the flights of Chengdu civil aviation were shifted to Shuangliu Airport from Guanghan Airport . The flight courses from Chengdu were thus opened to various cities within China including Beijing, Taiyuan , Xi'an , Chongqing , Kunming , Guiyang , and Nanchong . A large-scale expansion

4956-433: The first year of Emperor Guangwu's reign (25 years) in the Eastern Han dynasty, Gongsun Shu established himself as the emperor in Chengdu, and the country's name was "married family". In the twelfth year of Jianwu in the Later Han dynasty (36 years), the Great Sima Wuhan of the Eastern Han dynasty finally captured Chengdu after five years of war, and his family perished. In the fifth year of Zhongping (188), Emperor Ling of Han,

5040-416: The growing population of Chengdu, China is building a hyper-dense satellite city centered around a central mass-transit hub called the Great City where any destination within the city is within a 15-minute walk. This proto-type city is intended to provide affordable, high-quality lifestyle, which provides people-oriented spaces that does not require a car to navigate. Their current urban-planning focus in

5124-443: The insurgency of the western ethnic tribes of western Sichuan. Marco Polo visited Chengdu and wrote about the Anshun Bridge or an earlier version of it. At the fall of the Ming , the rebel Zhang Xianzhong established his Great Western Kingdom ( 大西 ) with its capital at Chengdu; it lasted only from 1643 to 1646. Zhang was said to have massacred a large number of people in Chengdu and throughout Sichuan. In any case, Chengdu

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5208-457: The large salt water wells of the Yangtze basin. The city logo adopted in 2011 is inspired by the Golden Sun Bird , an ancient relic unearthed in 2001 from the Jinsha Site . Archaeological discoveries at the Sanxingdui and Jinsha Site have established that the area surrounding Chengdu was inhabited over four thousand years ago, in the 18th–10th century   BC. At the time of China's Xia , Shang , and Zhou dynasties , it represented

5292-453: The late Qin dynasty and was called the "Land of Abundance", and this reputation has continued to this day. During the Han dynasty, the Chengdu economy, especially its brocade industry, prospered, becoming an important source of tribute to the court. The imperial court invested in Chengdu and specially set up Jinguan management and built "Jinguan City" in the southwest of Chengdu, "Jinguan City" and "Jincheng" becoming nicknames for Chengdu. In

5376-404: The meeting, it was proposed he lead this contingency; having built western hospitals, Boy's and Girl's schools at Missions he established on the Yangtze and Gan Rivers from 1866 – 1888. On 9 May 1891 Dr. Virgil Hart arrived in Chengtu and two weeks later bought a home and had it subdivided into living quarters and a dispensary, for the later arriving Missionary staff to move into. On 24 June 1892,

5460-426: The mutual attack between Ba and Shu, and sent Sima Cuo to lead his army into Shu along the Shiniu Road, and they captured the land in a few months. After that, the king of Qin established three abolitions of Shu Hou, and finally established Shu County, and the county seat of Chengdu County was established in Chengdu, the former capital of Shu. In 311 BC, Zhang Yi of the Qin dynasty built the Chengdu city wall according to

5544-463: The newly built Chengdu Metro line 10 which has stations in both terminals. KLM launched the first intercontinental air route from Chengdu, to Amsterdam , on 28 May 2006. The construction of its second runway started from late 2008, and service commenced in December 2009. The completed new runway, 3,600 metres (11,811 ft) in length and 60 metres (197 ft) in width, upgraded the previous flight area rating from 4E to 4F, capable of handling

5628-435: The period of the Five Dynasties, Huang Quan, a painter in Chengdu, initiated the Fine-Brush Flower-and-Bird Painting School with other painters. At that time, "Hanlin Painting Academy" was the earliest royal academy in China. Chengdu contains official, Roman Catholic and Protestant congregations, some of which are underground churches . The Apostolic Vicariate of Szechwan (now known as Roman Catholic Diocese of Chengdu )

5712-535: The roads will be pedestrian-oriented . This transit system provides direct transport to Chengdu itself. It is expected that the city will consume 48% less energy than cities of similar size. The goal of the 'park city' project is to allow a city like Chengdu to compete with Beijing and Shanghai without stripping the city of its character. The city of Chengdu is already known for its focus on quality of life, which includes affordable housing, good public schools, trees and bike lanes. The vast plain on which Chengdu

5796-428: The second year of Emperor Ping of the Yuan dynasty, the population of Chengdu reached 76,000 households, or about 354,000 people, making it one of the most populous cities at that time. Towards the six major cities. In the third year of the reign of Emperor Jing of the Han dynasty (141 BC), the Wen Dang, the prefect of Shu County, established the world's earliest local government-run school, "Wenweng Shishi", in Chengdu. In

5880-426: The spring of 1893. This site is where the city's first Methodist church ( Sï-Shen-Tsï Methodist Church ) and hospital were built. These were later razed by rioting Chinese in 1895 and the Mission staff retreated to Chongqing and later Shanghai to escape the marauders. Dr. Virgil Hart traveled to Peking to demand redress and full payment of retribution was collected from Sichuan Viceroy Liu Ping Chang. The mission compound

5964-430: The surrounding area has sometimes taken other names, including " Yizhou ". Chinese nicknames for the city include the "Turtle City" , variously derived from the old city walls ' shape on a map or a legend that Zhang Yi had planned their course by following a turtle's tracks; the "Brocade City" (see Sichuan brocade ), a contraction of the earlier "City of the Brocade Official", after an imperial office established under

6048-407: The system of the capital Xianyang, and built a large city and a small city. In 256 BC, King Zhao of Qin appointed Li Bing as the governor of Shu County. During his tenure, he presided over the construction of the world-famous Dujiangyan Water Conservancy Project. The Chengdu Plain has been fertile and wild for thousands of miles since then. After decades of operation, Chengdu replaced Guanzhong Plain in

6132-631: The time: the A6M "Zero" fighter that dominated the skies over China against the increasingly obsolete Russian-made Polikarpov I-15/I-153s and I-16s that were the principal fighter planes of the Chinese Nationalist Air Force. This would later prove to be a rude awakening for the Allied forces in the Pacific War following the attack on Pearl Harbor . One of the first American ace fighter pilots of

6216-519: The war and original volunteer fighter pilot for the Chinese Nationalist Air Force, Major Huang Xinrui (nicknamed "Buffalo" by his comrades) died as a result of battling the Zero fighters along with his squadronmates Cen Zeliu and Lin Heng (younger brother of renowned architect Lin Huiyin ) defending Chengdu on 14 March 1941. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor at the end of 1941, the United States began setting up stations at airbases in China. In 1944,

6300-578: The warmer months, and relieved from both sweltering summers and freezing winters. The Qin Mountains (Qinling) to the far north help shield the city from cold Siberian winds in the winter; because of this, the short winter is milder than in the Lower Yangtze . The 24-hour daily mean temperature in January is 5.9 °C (42.6 °F), and snow is rare but there are a few periods of frost each winter. The summer

6384-495: The world's largest building in terms of floor area, the New Century Global Center , is located in the city. The 100-meter-tall (330 ft) structure is 500 by 400 meters (1,600 by 1,300 ft) in size with 1,700,000 square meters (18,000,000 sq ft) of floor area, housing retail outlets, a movie theaters, offices, hotels, a water park with artificial beach and waves and a Mediterranean-style village comprising

6468-453: Was conducted on flight area and navigation area from 1994 to 2001. The runway was extended to 3,600 metres (11,811 ft) with Class 4E rating, allowing for larger jumbo jets including the Boeing 747-400 . The newly built terminal building was incorporated with a three-parallel-porch design, accommodating an hourly capacity of 3,500 passengers during rush hours, while the previous terminal building

6552-462: Was conquered by the Later Tang . The Later Shu was founded by Meng Zhixiang in 934, with its capital at Chengdu. Its second and last king, Meng Chang beautified the city by ordering hibiscus to be planted upon the city walls . The Song conquered the city in 965, introducing the first widely used paper money in the world. Su Shi praised it as "the southwestern metropolis". At the fall of

6636-650: Was established on 15 October 1696. Artus de Lionne , a French missionary of Paris Foreign Missions Society , was appointed as the first Apostolic Vicar. In 1890, the Canadian Methodist Mission was searching for more stations in Asia. In February 1891, Dr. Virgil Chittenden Hart  [ zh ] , who had been Superintendent of the New York Methodist Mission Society of Central China recommended that Chengtu be its first Mission sight. During

6720-565: Was exported throughout China. A "Brocade Official" ( 錦官 ; jǐnguān ) was established to oversee its production and transaction. After the fall of the Eastern Han, Liu Bei ruled Shu Han , the southwestern of the Three Kingdoms , from Chengdu. His minister Zhuge Liang called the area the "Land of Abundance". Under the Tang , Chengdu was considered the second most prosperous city in China after Yangzhou . Both Li Bai and Du Fu lived in

6804-526: Was only designated for regional flights within Sichuan and Chongqing . The airport is now an international civil airport with flights to more than 50 international destinations and over 170 domestic airports, and is a hub for Chengdu Airlines , Air China and Sichuan Airlines . It is linked to downtown Chengdu by the Airport Expressway, the Chengdu–Mianyang–Leshan intercity railway and

6888-598: Was only large enough for small biplanes. It was also where the Republic of China Air Force Polikarpov I-15 fighters of the 5th Pursuit Group were based for aerial defense of the Chengdu area against Imperial Japanese bomber raids; this following the Chinese retreat from Wuhan to Chungking (now Chongqing) as the new provisional capital in aftermath of the Battle of Wuhan against the Imperial Japanese onslaught. Civilian targets were indiscriminately bombed, and ace fighter pilot of

6972-636: Was quickly rebuilt only to be destroyed once more in the riots of 1901. These were rebuilt a third time and later missionaries would relocate and expand the Boys' and Girls' Schools just south of the city, dedicating the Divinity College as Hart College in 1914; a part of the West China Union University , that is now Sichuan University and the West China School of Medicine (Huaxiyida). During

7056-505: Was said to have become a virtual ghost town frequented by tigers and the depopulation of Sichuan necessitated the resettlement of millions of people from other provinces during the Qing dynasty . Following the Columbian Exchange , the Chengdu Plain became one of China's principal sources of tobacco . Pi County was considered to have the highest quality in Sichuan, which was the center of

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