Sichuan: Panda Landscapes, Temples and Chengdu Cuisine

Blue, green and purple lakes give the Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area a distinctive natural character. Ponds and lakes, waterfalls, limestone terraces and caves shape the area, as do ancient natural forests. They provide habitats for endangered plant and animal species, including giant pandas and takins. The park also features a 70-kilometre ecological walkway. The organisation of sightseeing trips is also part of the visitor experience: a bus company was set up to reduce traffic congestion and air pollution from vehicle emissions.

Landscapes and biodiversity

Huanglong offers a different combination: travertine terraces and lakes, and waterfalls are joined by forests, mountain scenery, limestone formations and hot springs. Huanglong also includes China’s easternmost glaciers and provides a habitat for giant pandas and Sichuan snub-nosed monkeys. By comparison, Jiuzhaigou stands out in particular for its colourful lakes and the combination of waterfalls, terraces and caves. The Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries, in turn, are notable for their wide-ranging biodiversity: they are home to more than 30 percent of the world’s giant panda population. Species found there also include red pandas, snow leopards and clouded leopards; 5,000 to 6,000 plant species have been recorded.

Nature in Sichuan is reflected not only in striking landscapes, but also in habitats and species richness. If you would like to choose a focus for your trip, the colourful lakes and waterfalls, mountain and limestone landscapes, and panda reserves offer different starting points. The landscapes vary from place to place; the Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries also stand out for their diversity of animal and plant life.

Temples, sculptures and history

China’s first Buddhist temple was built on the summit of Mount Emei in the 1st century AD. Today, more than 30 temples dot the mountain, including ten large and very old temples. Around 3,200 plant species have also been recorded there. Religious history and botanical diversity are thus two distinct facets of this place.

Mount Qingcheng brings together Daoism and architectural history. It is considered the place where Zhang Ling founded the teachings of Chinese Daoism in 142 AD. Eleven important Daoist temples reflect the traditional architecture of western Sichuan. On the mountain, you can hike through quiet forests to temples set among mist-shrouded peaks. Those particularly interested in the combination of hiking and religious heritage will find a distinct contrast here to the large temple complexes of Mount Emei.

The Leshan Giant Buddha represents a different form of cultural heritage. Carved into the hillside of Xijuo Peak in the 8th century, it looks out over the confluence of the Minjiang, Dadu and Qingyi rivers. This creates a striking spatial relationship between the sculpture and the river landscape. Sanxingdui, by contrast, focuses on the Bronze Age: the site is located in the western suburbs of the city of Guanghan in Sichuan and became a cultural centre in the Sichuan Basin from around 1800 BC.

The Dujiangyan irrigation system is another example of history continuing to serve a practical purpose. Originally built around 256 BC, it still operates fully today and now irrigates 668,700 hectares of farmland. The Panda Valley Rewilding Centre offers a different focus on nature: its work includes training pandas for release into the wild, releasing them, and breeding giant pandas and other endangered rare wildlife.

Chengdu and Sichuan cuisine

Chengdu is the birthplace and centre of Sichuan cuisine. Its distinctive character comes from the artful combination of sweet, sour, bitter, spicy and salty flavours. This offers another reason to travel, alongside the landscapes and cultural heritage: in Chengdu, culinary traditions take centre stage, while the mountain and cultural sites mentioned above appeal to different interests.

When choosing a place to stay in Sichuan, it can help to first decide what you want to focus on during your trip: nature and biodiversity, temples and religious history, historic engineering or Chengdu cuisine. This lets you tailor your search to the experiences that matter most to your plans.

Discover more destinations

Zigong, Ya'an, Chengdu, Nanchong, Guangyuan, Ngawa, Deyang, Mianyang, Liangshan, Leshan, Meishan, Dazhou, Ziyang, Panzhihua, Garzê, Bazhong, Yibin, Suining, Luzhou, Guang'an, Neijiang

For the main travel overview: China.