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There are 1864 giant pandas in China; 1246 of them live in the country’s 67 panda nature reserves.
Capital wealth Chengdu’s economy is thriving, but the city’s real riches are its pandas and parks by Camille Chin
seeing the shopping strip would be like going to NYC and not visiting Fifth Avenue; it’s lined with 700 shops. Fourteen million people now live in Chengdu, which has been going through a decade of explosive economic growth. It’s a huge metropolis with glass skyscrapers, high-end shops and a new subway system. The 18-storey New Century Global Centre is the biggest complex in the world with 1.7 million square metres of useable floor space. It includes a Mediterranean-style shopping village, an Olympicsized ice rink and an entire beach resort: artificial sun, artificial sea breeze, artificial waves. In 2013, Fortune magazine held its invite-only Global Forum in Chengdu for presidents of the biggest companies in the world and the city announced that 45 countries, including Canada, could visit visafree for 72 hours, a policy that only Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou share. (In March of this year, China’s foreign minister announced that Canadians can now get a 10-year, multiple-entry visa for travel to the country for stays of up to 180 days.) Chengdu is, however, more than just big business and money. It’s also the gateway to some jawdropping UNESCO sites and it has pandas — just 15 kilometres north of the city. In the nine years between 1974 and 1983, about 250 giant pandas starved to death in the Minshan and Qionglai Mountains, north and south of Chengdu.
Close to 200 cubs have been born at the Chengdu Panda Base since 1987.
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wasn’t surprised when my bus made an impromptu stop at Chunxi Road. Before I left for Chengdu in Western China, I read on a local website that going to the capital of the Sichuan Province and not
The Chengdu Zoo was able to save 63 and many were released back into the wild. Six of the animals were kept and, in 1987, they were the beginning of the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding (1375 Xiongmao Avenue; panda.org.cn; admission $12). Known as the Chengdu Panda Base, it’s grown into a 100-hectare park that’s home to nearly 100 giant pandas that have been artificially breed. Fact: pandas don’t like to have sex. Females are keen only about once a year. Even panda porn and Viagra haven’t helped. No wonder there are only 1864 of these largely solitary creatures in the world. MAY 2015 • Doctor’s
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The Anshun Bridge in Chengdu features a restaurant that has great views of the city.
There are 3000 travertine ponds in Huanglong and each reflects the colours of its surroundings differently.
Dragonair (dragonair.com) flies from Hong Kong to Chengdu daily. China Eastern Airlines (en.ceair.com) flies from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou daily during the May-to-October peak season. In Chengdu, I stayed at the Wangjiang Hotel (42 Xiashahepu Street; wangjianghotel.com; doubles from $325 a night), which is surrounded by a mini oasis of trees and Thai-inspired pavilions. Its 450 rooms are comfortable, the styling traditional. The Buddha Zen Hotel (B6-6 Wenshufang Street; buddhazenhotel.com; doubles from $115) is more moderately priced. It’s popular with travellers so book months before your trip. The Holiday Inn Express Chengdu Gulou (72 Daqiang Street West; ihg.com/holidayinnexpress; doubles from $90) is an affordable option that gets good reviews. Consider the New Jiuzhai Hotel (Zhanglong Town; english.ctrip.com; doubles from $255 in the fall) when in Jiuzhaigou. Its 329 rooms were renovated in 2009. I found it clean and modern. Plus, there was free Wi-Fi. For more info on Chengdu, check out the China National Tourist Board site (cnto.org); Go Chengdu (gochengdu.cn) is also helpful.
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The 28-year-old research and conservation facility is one of the largest giant panda breeding centres in the world. About 600,000 people visit every year, some tiptoeing through the park as I did, desperate to spot a bear among all the gingko, magnolia and willow trees, bamboo forests, and manmade dens and caves. My first sighting was of a smallish-sized bear lying spread-eagle on his back in the grass catching some Zs. He was so fluffy, I actually wondered if he was real. I saw dozens of bigger pandas after that, slumped over chomping on bamboo (they eat about 40 kilos a day), and newborn babies, six or seven of them huddled together in big wooden cribs behind glass. I saw red pandas too! Go in August or September if you want to see babies; avoid days that are over 25°C when pandas retreat into their air-conditioned caves. (Note: four pandas at the Shaanxi Rare Wildlife Rescue and Breeding Center in Xian died of canine distemper this past January and February. Visitors at the Chengdu Panda Base are no longer allowed to hold pandas for photo-ops as a precaution.)
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here are more giant pandas and also golden snub-nosed monkeys in the Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area (huanglong.com; adults $40 during high season, April to November), a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992. The national park isn’t in Chengdu, it’s about 300 kilometres northwest of it, but Chengdu is ground zero for 50-minute flights and bus tours to the site. About 10,000 people arrive at the park daily to see the 5588-metre snow-capped peaks and cascading mineral pools formed by calcite deposits. The 3.6-metre-long Huanglong Valley and the golden limestone that stretches throughout give the park its name: Huanglong means “yellow dragon.” The Five-Coloured Ponds near the dragon’s “head” form the biggest cluster of travertine terraces, close to 700, and they’re hugely popular with tourists. Don’t be surprised if Chinese women push you out of their frame when trying to pose for photos. I saw the littlest of ladies turn Incredible Hulk strong when attempting to take a selfie. The altitude of Huanglong ranges from 3200 to 3600 metres so the air is thinner. You can take a cable car through the park ($24 round-trip) or hike along the boardwalk as I did, moving slowly because of the elevation and crowds. The hike took three hours. Interestingly, among the hundreds of Chinese, were Tibetans dressed in traditional robes. Huanglong is in Songpan County in the eastern foothills of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The neighbouring Jiuzhaigou Valley National Park (jiuzhai.com; adults $42 during high season) contains nine Tibetan villages, which give the park its name; Jiuzhaigou means “nine-village valley.” Still, its
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Luodai is one of the most well-preserved Hakka towns in China.
ANCIENT HISTORY The ancient town of Luodai, 30 kilometres east of Chengdu, is one of the largest and well-preserved Hakka towns in Western China. Founded during the Three Kingdoms Period (220 to 280 CE) some 1700 years ago, just under 25,000 people live there, over 85 percent of whom are Hakka, originally from northern China. A branch of the Han from the Henan and Shanxi provinces, the Hakka moved South in a handful of migrations beginning in the fourth century to avoid famine and warfare. Hakka means “guest.” Luodai means “fallen or lost belt.” Liu Chan, the second and last emperor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms Period, is said to have dropped his jade belt down an octagonal well in what was once the town’s market. I didn’t see the well — or the belt — when I was there, but I did visit the town’s narrow main street lined with buildings featuring Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) Dynasty architecture. Some of the fanciful structures were engraved with flowers and birds, many more featured generous lattice-work. They housed tiny shops selling inexpensive trinkets: jewellery, scarves and leather goods. I came away with a beaded bracelet — or three. There were also a handful of restaurants offering Hakka cuisine, which centres around salting, drying and curing to preserve food. Luodai also consists of guildhalls, ancient testaments to the Hakka diaspora. The big Guangdong Guildhall is the one many travellers recommend. It was built in 1747 and features a yellow-tiled roof with gorgeous wavy eaves, but I didn’t have time for a visit. My own afternoon as a guest of the “guests” was over and I had to move on.
turquoise-coloured lakes and waterfalls are its most famous features. Like Huanglong, Jiuzhaigou’s popularity is understandable given the Chinese affinity for natural beauty, and the country’s many crowded and often smoggy east coast cities. The parks will also be popular with you. Fall is a good time to visit when rainfall fills the pools. I visited in September and it was cool so bring warm and waterproof gear. MAY 2015 • Doctor’s
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