S.J.Regis Hotel (Guangming)

If I wiggled it, Id frighten the life out of them!

by sugarpuff

This is just to give you an idea of just how big this Buddha is! This is the second time I have visited Da Fo (Grand Buddha) and both times his enormity have swept me away. The first time Iwent was back in 1999 when things were a lot less touristy. There were no queues to walk down the staircase alongside him, and no pushing shoving to have a photo taken next to him, and generally a lot more enjoyable. Maybe it was just the time of year I went. The first time was during January when i suppse no-one has time for travelling. Apart from the lack of tourists back then,we also met a researcher who very kindly showed us places most tourists never found...an 'off the beaten path tip' if I ever saw one! Unfortunately, I dont remember where they are now....didn't have VT in those days to jot down ideas and tips! I will dig out my old photos of him to put up here so you can note the differences.

Panda Research Base

by aukjejetty

The Chengdu Panda Breeding Research Base was built to imitate the wild ecological environment of pandas. It has a green coverage of 96 percent. The base created a perfect ecological environment for the living and breeding of pandas and other precious and rare wild animals. It breeds over 20 pandas and lesser pandas, black-necked cranes, white cranes and others.
The pandas have huge spaces to wander around. The baby-pandas are very funny, but not out in the open field.
You will find lots of information at their very nice website.

Capital of the Fertile Southwest - Chengdu

by gordonye

Chengdu is situated in the center of the only large irrigated agricultural region in the rugged Southwest China. Blessed by a mild subtropical climate and fertile soil, it has been famous all over China for two millennia for its good living, dubbed the "Heavenly Governor's Country". Separated from the rest of China by long, arduous journeys in the bygone times, Chengdu had always been a unique place with confident and relaxed attitudes, and its spicy cuisine is renowed to be the best of all China.

Chengdu is also the main access point to the eastern Tibetan Plateau, where colorful Tibetan Kham nomads live amongst 6000-7000 meter high mountains. Being less arid than the rest of the Tibetan Plateau, the Kham region is home to many unique wildlife species, including the famous giant panda and lesser panda.