Sichuan is a province in China with its capital city of Chengdu. It is one of the largest regions of the country. It has no access to the sea, but is surrounded by mountains. At least five sites in the province are World Heritage Sites. Where is Sichuan located? How does its population live? What cultural and geographical features does it have?
Sichuan, China
The province is located in the central part of the country, closer to the southwest. It is surrounded by six provinces: Guizhui, Qinghai, Yunnan, Shaanxi, Gansu and the Tibet Autonomous Region. The large river Yangtze flows through the whole of Sichuan - the most full-flowing in all of Eurasia. In the south, the river forms the border between Sichuan and Tibet.
The province was formed in 1955, but its history began more than three thousand years ago. In the Middle Ages, in its place was the Chuanxia region. It was divided into four separate regions, which became part of the modern province. This story is preserved in the very name of Sichuan, which is an abbreviation of the phrase fourChuanxia Region.”
Sichuan in China ranks fifth in terms of area. It covers an area of 491,146 square kilometers. Administratively, the region is divided into 17 urban and 3 autonomous regions, as well as one city of sub-provincial significance. The main city of Sichuan Province is Chengdu, located in the central part of the region.
Relief
Sichuan has an undulating terrain. Its territory is covered with highlands, between which there are hills and valleys. From west to east, the elevation decreases. The center and east of the province is occupied by the Sichuan Basin, a vast depression (170,000 km2), surrounded by mountains up to 4 km high. The depression is also uneven, there are hills inside it. The soil in the region often has a purple hue, in the depression area they are reddish and composed of sandstones.
The central part of the basin is crossed by the Longquanshan Mountains. From their western slopes begins the largest Chengdu plain in the province, with an area of more than 6,000 km2. The second major plain is located in the southwest of Sichuan.
The north and west of the province are covered by the Sichun Alps or the Sino-Tibetan Mountains, which frame the edges of the basin. There is a zone of seismic activity here, and cataclysms periodically occur. The last earthquake Sichuan (China) experienced in 2017, before the aftershocks occurred in 2013 and 2008.
The largest peak in the province is located on the Dasyu Ridge. This is Mount Gungashan, reaching 7556 km in height. It is surrounded by another 150 peaks 5-6 kilometers high. They are famous for their pyramidal peaks with four faces, as well as for perennial glaciers up to 300 meters thick.
Climate
Due to the heterogeneity of landscapes, the climate in Sichuan is very different. It is mostly subtropical. In the southern and eastern parts, the area is subject to the influence of the monsoons, which bring down heavy rains on it. Winters are very warm, dry and cloudy, while summers are hot, humid and short. The average annual temperature is about 15-19 degrees. Despite this, the number of sunny days is almost the same as in Norway or London, The climate is cooler in mountainous areas, but sunnier - up to 2500 hours a year. The average annual temperature in the mountains is from 5 to 15 degrees, in the valleys up to 20 degrees. Summers are warm to cool here, while winters can be quite cold.
Altitude zonality is clearly visible in the mountains. The climate varies from monsoonal continental to subarctic. In the counties of Gardze and Zoige, the temperature in winter reaches -30 degrees.
Nature
The mountain ranges of Sichuan are not continuous. They are interrupted by deep gorges and river valleys. In addition to the Yangtze, about 1,400 rivers flow in the region. There are about a thousand lakes in the province, some of which are high mountains. There are many swamps in the northwestern region.
The landscape and climatic conditions of the area have made the province one of the richest in China in terms of biological and plant resources. Approximately 7 million hectares of territory are covered with dense forests. The highlands are covered with coniferous forests and oak groves. As you climb up, landscapes gradually turn intotreeless tundra.
Sheltered from cold winds, the Sichuan Basin is the most auspicious place in the province. Its warm and humid climate allows for year-round farming. It grows citrus fruits, tobacco, fruits, wheat. Rice plantations are located on the terraced slopes.
Due to the development of the economy, the forests in the hollow were destroyed. They remained only in the low mountains along the edges of the depression. There are castanopsis, oaks, fir, as well as metasequoia, which was considered an extinct species.
Giant pandas, mandarin ducks, South China tigers, deer, Tibetan pheasant, Sichuan francolin and other species live in Sichuan. Among rare and exotic animals there are onager, musk deer resembling deer with long fangs, wild yaks, Jomolungma bobaks.
Economy
Since ancient times, Sichuan in China was considered a "province of abundance". This is one of the main agricultural regions of the country. In addition to growing various crops, silkworm cocoons are harvested here, and pigs are bred. The province produces about 20% of China's wine production.
Industry also plays an important role in Sichuan's economy. The province has developed metallurgy, light and food industries, production of textiles, building materials, aerospace and automotive industries.
The presence of mountains provided the province with ore, mineral and fuel minerals, namely the largest deposits of cob alt, vanadium, titanium, lithium, rock s alt, polymetals in Chinaetc. The Sichuan depression contains the largest natural gas deposits in the country. It is also a leader in gold mining and production.
Numerous elevation changes in the places where large rivers run gives Sichuan a strong potential in the development of hydropower. Among the provinces that produce electricity with the power of water, it is in first place.
Population
The province ranks fourth in the country in terms of population. It is inhabited by approximately 80 million people. The center of Sichuan province and its largest city is Chengdu. It is home to 15 million people. In the Middle Ages, the city was famous for the production of satin and brocade.
The main population of Sichuan are representatives of the Han people (the main ethnic group in China). In addition to them, Naxi, Tibetans, Lolo, Qiang and other ethnic groups live in the province. Tibetans and Qiang live compactly within the Ngawa-Tibetan-Qiang, Liangshan-Yi and Gardze-Tibetan districts.
The dominant religions of the region are Taoism and Buddhism. Along with them, Shenism or Chinese folk religion is widespread in the province. One of its aspects is the cult of ancestors, the veneration of nature, the veneration of Heaven as a powerful force that influences the rulers and inhabitants of China. Christians represent less than one percent of the population. Muslims and Yiguandao worshipers are also in the minority.
Sights of Sichuan
The highest mountains, winding rivers, dense forests create unforgettable natural landscapes. Add to this the richest cultural heritage, and we get one of the mostinteresting provinces in China. Sichuan was settled by people three thousand years ago. This is evidenced by the remains of the ancient city of Jinsha, found by archaeologists in the city of Chengdu. Now all the discovered gold masks and jewelry, objects made of bronze, jade and ivory are stored in the city museum.
Natural beauties are best enjoyed in national parks. Kanawa, Iajiagen, Hailougou, Jiuzhaigou parks have picturesque landscapes. Many of them are located in the mountains with crystal clear lakes and incredible glaciers. The most important mountains, not only for the inhabitants of the province, but for the entire Chinese culture, are Emeishan and Qingchenshan. The first is considered the center of Buddhism, the second is the birthplace of Taoism.
The province has delicious and original cuisine, many more mountains, monasteries and interesting cities. The top must-see places for tourists in Sichuan are:
- Buddha statue in Leshan;
- Mount Emeishan;
- Jiuzhaigou National Park;
- Dujiangyan Irrigation System;
- Qingchenshan Mountain;
- Wan Nian Monastery;
- giant panda reserves;
- Mengdingshan tea mountain;
- China's rainiest city, Ya'an.
Jiuzhaigou Park
The park is also called the "Valley of the Nine Villages". It really contains Tibetan villages, the population of which does not exceed 1000 people. The park impresses with numerous lakes and cascading waterfalls.
In Jiuzhaigou there is a primeval forest - a piecea landscape that has been preserved since prehistoric times, a Buddhist monastery, high sheer cliffs and broad-leaved forests, bamboo thickets and gorges. Its lakes have different colors - from green to turquoise, and the water in them is so transparent that the bottom can be seen even in reservoirs with great depth.
Qingchenshan Mountain
One of China's most iconic places is Mount Qingchenshan. It was here that Taoism turned from an abstract philosophical doctrine into a religious cult. According to legend, the Taoist patriarch Zhang Daoling descended from this mountain to heaven, along with his family. In reality, Zhang built the first temple complex on its slopes, which became the beginning of a new confession.
Qingchenshan is on the World Heritage List. Once upon a time, five hundred monks lived in its temples. Their numbers declined with the advent of the communist regime in China, but now the activity of the monastery and the monks has resumed again.
Giant panda reserves
The complex is located in the Qionglai and Jiajin mountains. It consists of seven reserves and nine parks, where scientists and tourists closely observe giant pandas. The main reason for their creation was the decrease in the number of animals in nature.
In the reserves, pandas are provided with all the necessary conditions to make them feel comfortable and safe. They are fed and treated, and only successful reproduction is expected of them. Grown up bears are released into independent life on the territory of national parks. Exceptof them, in the reserves you can meet the snow leopard and clouded leopard. They are also considered vulnerable species and need close supervision.
Buddha statue in Leshan
Near the city of Leshan is one of the most grandiose sculptural structures in the world. A huge statue of Maitreya Buddha "sits" in front of Mount Emeishan, sacred to Buddhists. It reaches 71 meters in length and about 30 in width.
The statue is placed in the thickness of the rock, in the place where three rivers converge. On both sides of the Buddha, dozens of images of Bohisattvas are carved on the rocks. The statue appeared in the second century AD, and it took almost a hundred years to create it.
