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Chengdu Consulate
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U.S. Consulate Chengdu - China |
History of Chengdu
With over 2,000 years of history, this capital city of
Sichuan province is one of the most beautiful cities in China. This is the
4th assignment for Sean and the 1st for us as a family. The national
government has even determined that Chengdu is the cleanest city in China.
Chengdu is sometimes called the City of Brocade; the Jinjiang, which means
brocade, is a river that flows through the city. The breeding of silkworms
and the weaving of brocade were highly developed as early as the Han era
(206 B.C.-220 A.D.).
Chengdu is also known as the
City of
Hibiscus because of its several parks and the wonderful
flowers which grow even in the downtown area. Reportedly, Meng Cheng, King
of Shu and a fancier of hibiscus, had hibiscus planted along the walls and edges
of the streets in the 10th century.
The city is located in southwest
China, in the
west Sichuan plain, at the confluence of the Nan and Fu rivers. An
ancient walled city, it was the capital of the Shu kingdom (3rd century
A.D.). It is an important regional center for metallurgy, chemicals,
machinery, and electronics. It is also considered to be the cultural
hub of southwest China;
it is the site of Sichuan University and a center of Sichuan opera.
The province itself abuts the eastern border of Tibet.
Because of its location in the midst of some of
China's
most fertile growing regions, Chengdu is also known as the
Land of
Abundance. Its markets are always filled with fresh vegetables and
fruits. Whether due to government subsidies or cheap labor, most items
are quite inexpensive, including fresh meat and milk.
The ancestors of the Shu people (in ancient times,
Sichuan
province was called Shu) lived in Chengdu more than 3,700 years ago.
About 2,300 years ago, Kai Ming, the ninth king of the ancient Shu kingdom
moved his capital to today's Chengdu. It was at that time that Chengdu
got its present name. Because of its special economic strength and
geographic location in southwest China, Chengdu has been an important
political center through the centuries. At least seven local
separatist governments organized in Chengdu. During these 2,300 years,
Chengdu never changed its location despite many upheavals, and it has always
been the capital of
Sichuan province.
Climate in Chengdu is quite temperate. The weather is nice
during the winter, with lows of about 40 degrees and highs around 55
degrees. It never snows. However, since Chengdu is very humid,
it always feels a little colder. Also due to the humidity, Chengdu in
summer is uncomfortable and muggy, especially when the temperature rises to
90 degrees. With the combination of humidity and surrounding
mountains, Chengdu is almost always overcast. Although some critics
blame pollution for the overcast skies, historical records prove otherwise.
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Southwest University
for Finance and Economic |
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Stands for
Southwestern University of Finance and Economics (Xi Nan Cai Da) is the
largest university under the Education Ministry of China. The foreign
exchange student program was initiated in 1996. Since its initiation,
around 200 foreign students from Japan, Korea, USA, France Germany, Turkey,
Rusia, Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines have completed their
studies. SWUFE’s campus is the best in Chengdu. Foreign student
may rent comfortable apartments on or off campus. |
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