Chengdu – Spicy Pandas & Giant Earthquakes

Famous Chengdu Hot Pot ... a Cauldron of Chilies!

I may sound like a broken record (or a broken DVD) but my oh my how times have changed. When my brother and I first visited Chengdu in Sichuan province two decades ago, the city was early in its transformation from a culturally rich Chinese city to one with a strong western flavor (albeit spicy). At that time bicycles far outnumbered cars and the early morning rush to work was a pump fest of thighs pedaling across the metropolis.

Today, cars are the dominant mode of transport and the leg powered bikes have been for the most part replaced by electronic versions.

One thing that has not changed though is the thick cloud of haze that covers the city 24 hours a day. The air pollution in Chengdu is horrible… and has been exacerbated by the ever increasing number of fossil fuel guzzling cars.

Chengdu (population 14 million or so when surrounding areas are included) is famous for its fiery hot spicy cuisine, Giant Pandas and  most recently the massive earthquake of 2008 that killed close to 100,000 people, and  left over 4 million people homeless. The epicenter was a short 80 km north of the city. I visited the quake zone not long after the disaster and was overwhelmed by the devastation. Since 2008 over 140 billion dollars has been spent on reconstruction and restoration.

The quake not only affected the lives of an enormous number of people but it also affected the Giant Pandas of Wolong Nature Reserve. A few of the Giant Pandas at the Wolong Breeding Center escaped after the earthquake when their pens were damaged… and one Panda was killed when a wall collapsed and crushed her.

The Giant Pandas from Wolong have been relocated to the Bifengxia Panda Base, in a mountainous region of Sichuan province about an hour’s drive from Chengdu. If you want to see Pandas one of the Panda Bases is the best place to go. Next stop Bifengxia!