Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan Province and is awarded "The Best Tourist City of China " by World Tourism Organization and National Tourism Administration in 2006,Chengdu was one of the first centers of printing in China and has been famous for its luxurious satins, brocades, and lacquer ware since the 13th century. Chengdu is also home to the Chengdu Giant Panda Research Base (Chengdu Panda Breeding Area , http://www.panda.org.cn/), one of the most important centers in the world for the captive conservation of the Giant Panda. The Research Centre has evolved into China Panda City. Panda City encompasses a museum, as well as the Chengdu Zoo. Sichuan Province, located in southwest China, is bordered by the Tibetan Plateau in the west and by the Three Gorges and the Yangtze River in the east. Sichuan is known as the "Land of Abundance " and has four places on the World Cultural and Natural Heritage List:

1. Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area

(http://www.jiuzhaigouvalley.com/english/index.htm)

2. Huang Long Valley (Yellow Dragon Valley)

(http://www.huanglong.com/main.html)

3. Mount Emeishan(http://61.139.77.29:88/eng/index.html),including the Leshan GiantBuddha(http://www.lsdf.cn/english/)

4. Dujiang Yan(http://www.djyjq.com/fsjeip/),including Qing Cheng Mountain(http://www.qcs.cn/qcenglish/).

Visitors to this province experience a wide variety of beautiful landscapes including plateaus, mountains, ravines, basins, hills, plains, rivers, lakes, hot springs, waterfalls and limestone caves. In addition, tourists can visit important historic relics and taste the delicious spicy Sichuan Cuisine.