Chengdu: A History That Will Put You To Sleep

Welcome to the I Can't Sleep Podcast,

Where I help you learn a little and sleep a lot.

I'm your host,

Benjamin Boster,

And thanks to Terry for today's sponsored episode about Chengdu,

Which is the capital city of the Chinese province of Sichuan.

I might butcher a lot of this Chinese text,

So forgive me for my Americanized version of many of these words that I attempt to pronounce.

Chengdu is the capital city of the Chinese province of Sichuan,

With a population of 20,

937,

757 at the 2020 census.

It is the fourth most populous city in China,

And it is the only city with a population of over 20 million,

Apart from direct administered municipalities.

It is traditionally the hub of western China.

Chengdu is in central Sichuan.

The surrounding Chengdu plain is known as the country of heaven and the land of abundance.

Its prehistoric settlers included the Sanxingdui culture,

The site of the Dujiangyan,

An ancient irrigation system,

Is designated as a World Heritage Site.

The Jin River flows through the city.

Chengdu's culture reflects that of its province,

Sichuan.

In 2011,

It was recognized by UNESCO as a city of gastronomy.

It is associated with the giant panda,

A Chinese national symbol that inhabits the area of Sichuan.

The city is home to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.

Founded by the Kingdom of Shu in the 4th century BC,

Chengdu is unique as the only Chinese settlement that has maintained its name unchanged throughout the imperial,

Republican,

And communist eras for more than 2,

000 years.

It was the capital of Liu Bei's Shu Han Empire during the Three Kingdoms era,

As well as several other local kingdoms during the Middle Ages.

Under the PRC,

Chengdu's importance as a link between eastern China and western China expanded,

With railways built to Chongqing in 1952,

And Kunming and Tibet afterward.

In the 1960s,

Chengdu became an important defense industry hub.

Chengdu is now one of the most important economic,

Financial,

Commercial,

Cultural,

Transportation,

Research,

And communication centers in China.

Its economy is diverse,

Characterized by the machinery,

Automobile,

Medicine,

Food,

And information technology industries.

Chengdu is a leading financial hub,

Ranking 35th globally on the 2021 Global Financial Centers Index.

It also hosts many international companies.

More than 300 Fortune 500 companies have established branches in Chengdu.

Chengdu is the third Chinese city with two international airports,

After Beijing and Shanghai.

Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport,

And the newly built Tianfu International Airport,

A hub of Air China and Sichuan Airlines,

Is one of the 30 busiest airports in the world,

And the Chengdu Railway Station is one of the six biggest in China.

Chengdu is considered a beta-plus global second-tier city classification,

Along with Barcelona and Washington DC,

According to the GAWC.

As of 2023,

The city also hosts 23 foreign consulates,

The fourth most in China,

Behind Beijing,

Shanghai,

And Guangzhou.

Chengdu is the seat of the Western Theater Command Region of the People's Liberation Army.

In 2023,

Chengdu became the third Chinese city to host the 31st FISU Summer World University Games,

After Beijing 2001 and Shenzhen 2011.

The city will also host the 2025 World Games.

It is considered one of the best cities in China to live in,

And also a national central city of China.

Chengdu is one of the world's top 25 cities by scientific research output.

The city is home to the greatest number of universities and research institutes in western China.

The name Chengdu is attested in sources dating back to the Warring States period.

It has been called the only major city in China to have remained at an unchanged location,

With an unchanged name throughout the imperial,

Republican,

And communist eras.

It also had other names.

It was briefly known as Shijing,

Which means western capital,

In the 17th century.

The etymology of the name is unclear.

The earliest and most widely known explanation,

Although not generally accepted by modern scholars,

Is provided in the 10th century geographical work Universal Geography of the Taiping Era,

Which states that the ninth king of Xu's Kaiming dynasty named his new capital Chengdu after a statement by King Tai of Zhou that a settlement needed one year to become a town,

Two to become a city,

And three to become a metropolis.

The character for sheng may mean turned into,

While du can mean either a metropolis or a capital.

The present spelling is based on pinyin romanization.

Its postal map romanization was Chengdu.

Its former status as the seat of the Chengdu prefecture prompted Marco Polo's spellings S-I-N-D-A-F-U,

S-I-N-D-I-N-F-U,

Etc.

,

And the Protestant missionaries' romanization Qingtu Fu.

Although the official name of the city has remained almost constant,

The surrounding area has sometimes taken other names.

Chinese nicknames for the city include the Turtle City,

Variously derived from the old city wall's shape on a map or a legend that Zhang Yi had planned their course by following a turtle's tracks.

The Brocade City,

A contraction of the earlier city of the Brocade Official,

After an imperial office established under the Western Han.

The Hibiscus City,

From the hibiscus which King Mengchang of the later Shu ordered planted upon the city wall during the 10th century.

According to Etienne de la Vessière,

Bagshur,

Literally pond or salt water,

May be the Sagdian name for the region of Chengdu.

This toponym is attested near Merv,

But not far from Chengdu are found the large salt water wells of the Yangtze Basin.

The city logo adopted in 2011 is inspired by the Golden Sunbird,

An ancient relic unearthed in 2001 from the Jinxia site.

Archaeological discoveries of the Sanxingdui and Jinxia site have established that the area surrounding Chengdu was inhabited over 4,

000 years ago,

In the 18th to 10th century BC.

At the time of China's Xia,

Shang,

And Zhou dynasties,

It represented a separate ancient bronze-wielding culture that,

Following its partial signification,

Became known to the Chinese as Shu.

Shu was conquered by Qin in 316 BC,

And the settlement was refounded by Qin general Shang Yi.

In the early stage of the Xia dynasty,

Or even earlier,

The ancient Shu kingdom,

Located on the Chengdu plain,

Has formed a relatively developed bronze civilization,

Becoming an important source of Chinese civilization and one of the birthplaces of the Chinese nation.

According to records,

There were five dynasties in the ancient Shu kingdom.

At the end of the spring and autumn period,

Around the 4th century BC,

The 5th king Kaiming moved the capital to Chengdu.

According to Taiping Wanyuji,

The name of the city is borrowed from the history of the establishment of the capital in the Western Zhou dynasty.

The illusions of Zhou Weng Changchi's one year he lived in a cluster,

Two years became a city,

And three years Chengdu.

Because of the name Chengdu,

It has been used to this day.

Therefore,

Chengdu has become a rare city in China and the world that has not changed its name since its establishment.

Some people think that Chengdu is a transliteration of ancient Shu place names.

There is a saying that Guangdu,

Shindu,

And Chengdu are collectively referred to as the three capitals of ancient Shu.

Nowadays,

There are many cultural relics of ancient Shu kingdom in Chengdu plain.

Jinsa ruins,

Located in the urban area of Chengdu,

Is a peak of the development of ancient Shu culture.

The ancient state of Shu was the first target to be conquered by the Qin state in the process of unifying the world.

King Huiwen of Qin had prepared for this for many years,

And opened up the Xinyu road,

That is the Jinyu road,

From Qin to Shu.

In 316 BC,

King Huiwen of Qin took advantage of the mutual attack between Ba and Shu,

And sent Si Mazuo to lead his army into Shu,

Along the Xinyu road,

Capturing the land in a few months.

After that,

The king of Qin established three abolitions of Shu Hou,

And finally established Shu county,

And the county seat of Chengdu county was established in Chengdu,

The former capital of Shu.

In 311 BC,

Zhang Yi of the Qin dynasty built the Chengdu city wall according to the system of the capital Xianyang,

Building a large city and a small city.

In 256 BC,

King Zhou of Qin appointed Li Bing as the governor of Shu county.

During his tenure,

He presided over the construction of the world-famous Du Zhongyan water conservancy project.

The Chengdu plain has been fertile and wild for thousands of miles since then.

After decades of operation,

Chengdu replaced Guangxiang plain in the late Qin dynasty,

And was called the land of abundance,

And this reputation has continued to this day.

During the Han dynasty,

The Chengdu economy,

Especially its brocade industry,

Prospered,

Becoming an important source of tribute to the court.

The imperial court invested in Chengdu,

And specially set up Jingguan management,

And built Jingguan city in the southwest of Chengdu,

Jingguan city and Jincheng,

Becoming nicknames for Chengdu.

In the second year of Emperor Bing of the Yuan dynasty,

The population of Chengdu reached 76,

000 households,

Or about 354,

000 people,

Making it one of the most populous cities at that time.

Towards the six major cities in the third year of the reign of Emperor Jin of the Han dynasty,

The Wendang,

The prefect of Xu county,

Established the world's earliest local government-run school,

Wenwenxixi,

Of Chengdu.

In the Han dynasty,

Chengdu's literature and art also reached a high level.

All the most famous literary masters in the Han dynasty were from Chengdu.

In the former Han dynasty,

The whole country was divided into 14 prefectural governor's departments.

In the first year of Emperor Guangwu's reign,

25 years,

In the eastern Han dynasty,

Gongsun Shu established himself as the emperor in Chengdu,

And the country's name was Married Family.

In the twelfth year of Jiangwu in the later Han dynasty,

36 years,

The great Sima Wuhan of the eastern Han dynasty finally captured Chengdu after five years of war,

And his family perished.

In the fifth year of Jiangping,

188,

Emperor Ling of Han,

The court accepted Liu Yong's suggestion and changed the provincial governors to state shepherds with actual recruitment and command power.

In the fifth year of Chuping,

194,

It moved to Chengdu.

At that time,

The Yizhou provincial governor's department was the place where the Hu people in the western regions were operating.

In 2019,

Chengdu overtook Shenzhen,

China's technology hub,

As the best-performing Chinese economy.

The city has surged in population in the last two decades.

Investments into a Europe Chengdu Express railway have been made,

Providing even more opportunity for the city to grow.

As a way to preserve farmland and accommodate the growing population of Chengdu,

China is building a hyper-dense satellite city centered around a central mass transit hub called the Great City,

Where any destination within the city is within a 15-minute walk.

This prototype city is intended to provide affordable,

High-quality lifestyle,

Which provides people-oriented spaces that does not require a car to navigate.

Their current urban planning focus in the city of Chengdu is to make the city a city within a park,

Rather than creating parks within a city.

The Great City falls in line with the Chengdu Park City Initiative,

Prioritizing the environment,

Public space,

And quality of life.

It will consist of 15% park and green space,

And be situated on a 1.

3 square kilometer area.

Although 25% of the space will be dedicated to roads,

One half of the roads will be pedestrian-oriented.

This transit system provides direct transport to Chengdu itself.

It is expected that the city will consume 48% less energy than cities of similar size.

The goal of the Park City project is to allow a city like Chengdu to compete with Beijing and Shanghai,

Without stripping the city of its character.

The city of Chengdu is already known for its focus on quality of life,

Which includes affordable housing,

Good public schools,

Trees,

And bike lanes.

The vast plain on which Chengdu is located has an elevation ranging from 450 to 720 meters.

Northwest Chengdu is bordered by the high and steep Longmen Mountains in the northwest,

And in the west by the Chenglai Mountains,

The elevation of which exceeds 3,

000 meters.

That includes Miaoji Ling and Xiling Snow Mountain.

The western mountainous area is also home to a large primitive forest,

With abundant biological resources,

And a giant panda habitat.

East of Chengdu stands the low Longchuan Mountains,

And the west-bordering area of the hilly land of middle reaches of Ming River,

An area noted by several converging rivers.

Since ancient times,

Chengdu has been known as the Abundant Land,

Owing to its fertile soil,

Favorable climate,

And novel Dujiangyan irrigation system.

Chengdu is located at the western edge of the Sichuan Basin,

And sits on the Chengdu Plain.

The dominating terrain is plains.

The prefecture ranges in latitude from 30 degrees 5 minutes to 31 degrees 26 minutes north,

While its longitude ranges from 102 degrees 54 minutes to 104 degrees 53 minutes east,

Stretching from 192 kilometers from east to west and 166 kilometers south to north,

Administering 12,

390 square kilometers of land.

The urban area,

With an elevation of 500 meters,

Features a few rivers,

Three of them being the Jing,

Fu,

And Sha rivers.

Outside of the immediate urban area,

The topography becomes more complex.

To the east lies the Longchuan Mountains and the Penzhong Hills.

To the west lie the Chenglai Mountains,

Which rise to 5,

364 meters in Deyi County.

The highest point in Chengdu is Dashuidong in Jilin Snow Mountain in Deyi County,

With an altitude of 5,

364 meters.

The lowest point is the river bank at the exit of the Tuozhou River in Zhenyong City,

With an altitude of 359 meters.

Chengdu has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate,

And is largely warm with high relative humidity all year.

It has four distinct seasons,

With moderate rainfall concentrated mainly in the warmer months,

And relieved from both sweltering summers and freezing winters.

The Qin Mountains to the far north help shield the city from cold Siberian winds in the winter.

Because of this,

The short winter is milder,

Than in the lower Yangtze.

The 24-hour daily mean temperature in January is 5.

9 degrees Celsius,

And snow is rare,

But there are a few periods of frost each winter.

The summer is hot and humid,

But not to the extent of the three furnaces cities of Chongqing,

Wuhan,

And Nanjing.

All of which lie in the Yangtze Basin.

The 24-hour daily mean temperature in July and August is around 25 degrees Celsius,

With afternoon highs sometimes reaching 33 degrees Celsius.

Sustained heat is found in much of eastern China as rare.

Rainfall occurs most frequently,

And is concentrated in July and August,

With very little of it in the cooler months.

Chengdu also has one of the lowest annual sunshine totals nationally,

With less sunshine annually than much of northern Europe.

With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 15% in December to 32% in August,

The city receives 1,

006 hours of bright sunshine annually.

Spring,

March through April,

Tends to be sunnier and warmer in the day than autumn,

October through November.

The annual mean is 16.

9 degrees Celsius,

And extremes have ranged from negative 6.

5 degrees Celsius to 39.

4 degrees Celsius.

As of July 2013,

The world's largest building in terms of floor area,

The new Century Global Center,

Is located in the city.

The 100 meter tall structure is 500 by 400 meters in size,

With 1.

7 million square meters of floor area,

Housing retail outlets,

Movie theaters,

Offices,

Hotels,

A water park with artificial beach and waves,

And a Mediterranean-style village comprising a large five-star hotel,

A skating rink,

And a 15,

000 spot parking area.

According to the 2020 Chinese census,

The municipality had 20,

937,

757 inhabitants.

The metropolitan area itself was home to 16,

045,

577 inhabitants,

Including those of the 12 urban districts plus Guanghan City.

Chengdu is the largest city in Sichuan and the fourth largest in China.

21,

192,

000 for 2021,

Adding more residents than any other city in the country.

As of 2015,

The OECD,

Which is the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development,

Estimated the Chengdu metropolitan area's population to be 18.

1 million.