Hello Chengdu! From 6th – 13rd March 2015, I visited Sichuan. In this trip I encountered ancient wisdom, the breath-taking scenery of the nature, the magnificent project from the ancient Chinese people‌and of course the sweet giant pandas! The trip broadened my horizon and revealed the beautiful China which beyond the tourist sights and modern cities. This journal is the highlights of my trip, and I would like to share it with you. Enjoy!
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
1
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
2
The panda escaped into the city center!
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
3
Context • Dujiangyan irrigation system (都江堰水利 工程) P5 - P25 • The giant pandas (大熊猫) P26 - P39 • The grand Leshan Buddha (乐山大佛)P40 – P47
• The Emei mountain（峨眉山）P48 – P78
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
4
Dujiangyan irrigation system • Dujiangyan irrigation system was built in 256BC, (the Warring States) by the then Qin officer Lin Bing. • Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dujiangyan_irrigation_system
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
5
It was a nice sunny Sunday when I visited Dujiangyan irrigation system park, the early spring, willow trees are turning green and flowers are blooming~
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
6
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
7
The nice little pond with shadows in it.
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
8
The tea house next to the ancient building in the park
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
9
The 1st part of the irrigation system – Yu Zui (the fish mouth) 鱼嘴 •
•
•
•
From the picture you could see 2 rivers, the one on the left is the outer river (A), the one on the right is an artificial inner river (B) which was digged by the locals back in .xxx years ago. B is narrower and deeper than A. In the dry season, 60% of the river water would run from A into B, the principle is that by gravity, water tends to run into where it’s deeper, the wider A enables more water would run into the narrower B. In the flood season, Yu Zui plays a principle role by separate the sand and water, Yu Zui (The curved stone you see in the front of the picture) has a curve shape, so when the water run towards us, the curve Yu Zui directs the water from A into B, but letting only 20% of the sands run into A. (Why? Imagine some passengers are sitting in the bus and the bus is driving towards us. The bus now turns right, which direction would the passengers’ body fall? The answer is left, because of inertia.) The building of the irrigation system used this simple principle, and left alone 80% of the sand still in A. Because A is shallower than B, so it would be also easier to do the maintenance (clean away the sand) in the dry season. The principle could be summarised into 8 Chinese characters “四六分水，二八排沙” (separate the water by the proportions of 40% and 60%, separate the sand by the proportions of 20% and 80%) Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
10
Since it’s the dry season when I visited, so not much water yet, but you could see the different width of the river clearly.
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
11
The curve of the Yu Zui makes the water turn.
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
12
This is how the artificial (inner) river looks like
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
13
It was the dry season when I visited there, so the river was not full of water.
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
14
The bay on the left of the picture is made with concrete in the 70’s. To control the water of the outer river in flood season.
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
15
A zoom-out view
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
16
The 2nd part of the irrigation system – Fei Sha Yan （飞沙堰） • The Fei Sha Yan (on the right of the picture) is located totally at the inner river (B), again used the same principle as Yu Zui (the fish mouth), to make sure the minimum sand would be carried along into the Chengdu plain.
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
17
Fei Sha Yan （飞沙堰）
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
18
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
19
The water carries minimum sand keeps running in the inner river.
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
20
The 3rd part of the irrigation system – Bao Ping Kou （宝瓶口） • The 3rd part of the irrigation system is called “Baoping Kou”, when the water from the outer river (A) reaches here, it carries only approx. 8% of the sands. After this point, the water runs into and nurture the whole Chengdu plain (5,300 sq kilometers land) Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
21
The sand is separated and kept in the pond by “Li Dui” （离堆）
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
22
Bao Ping Kou （宝瓶口）-- after this point, the water enters Chengdu Plain.
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
23
People live by the inner river bank
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
24
notes • Dujiangyan irrigation system is, by far the most poetic artificial irrigation system I’ve ever seen. • It does not try to “conquer” the nature, on the contrary, it blends very well into the nature and improves the nature using a simple but effective method. • The view of the irrigation system is grand, the idea is simple but wise, I admire very much of the designer’s wisdom. Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
25
The Giant pandas Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
26
My impression of the pandas is, they don’t do much all day long, just eat and sleep, occasionally they play, super lazy~
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
27
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
28
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
29
Hanging on the tree style
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
30
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
31
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
32
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
33
•
The Chengdu people love their pandas, walking in Chengdu you will find panda themed souvenirs everywhere! Even in the subway conjunctions‌
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
34
It’s just a bit too much..
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
35
The Red pandas & the peacocks • Just a reminder that there are also red pandas & peacocks living in the giant panda park, although they are not the main roles in the whole scenario. • But they don’t mind. • Many mistaken the red pandas (Ailurus fulgens) and the Procyon lotor are the same animal, but they are not! They just belong to the same family.
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
36
The red pandas are very cute, they look like a small fox ď Š
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
37
The peacocks are allowed to walk freely in the pandas park, so you could spot them in very random place, e.g. standing on the wall which separate the pandas; on the trees; on the lawn. Etc‌
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
38
Bye~
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
39
The Leshan Giant Buddha •
The giant Buddha was built from 713 to 803, it took totally 90 years and experienced the change of 3 different emperors.
•
The Buddha is the mountain itself.
•
The Buddha is facing the point where the 3 different rivers cross, which flooded often in the past. The locals believe that the Buddha powered over the flood and bless the place, thus it is given a lot of respect.
•
Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leshan_Giant_Buddha
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
40
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
41
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
42
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
43
Some visitors chose to use a boat to view the grand Buddha on the river.
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
44
Beautiful small sculptures in the mountain along the way coming down from the Buddha’s head.
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
45
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
46
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
47
Emei Mountain • A Buddhism scenic mountain. • Caught a bus from the bottom and arrived Leidong Ping around 9 am, stared climbing, there was still snow up there and encountered some breath taking nature scene. • Temperature: -3 degrees or so, slippery, need to wear snow grip under the shoes.
• I don’t have much to say, the pictures said everything. • Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Emei Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
48
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
49
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
50
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
51
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
52
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
53
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
54
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
55
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
56
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
57
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
58
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
59
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
60
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
61
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
62
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
63
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
64
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
65
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
66
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
67
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
68
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
69
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
70
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
71
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
72
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
73
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
74
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
75
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
76
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
77
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
78
Felt content to have spicy hot pot in Chengdu!:-P
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
79
The End Thanks for reading!
Echo - Chengdu trip 2015
80