Milan offers five dreams for visitors to Chengdu

Chengdu is the only tourist destination in China among the 24 top global tourist destinations invited to participate in the Expo Milano 2015 by Alitalia and Etihad, the two official airline sponsors of the event.

Among the other 23 destinations are New York, Washington, London, Sydney, Bangkok, Abu Dhabi and Ho Chi Minh.

"We chose Chengdu from the many options in China, because it is already a recognized tourism destination and it has many international air routes," said Shane O'Hare, Etihad Airways' senior vice-president.

In recent years, Chengdu has expedited the pace of its internationalization. Over half of Fortune's top 500 enterprises have a presence in Chengdu, and it was the fourth Chinese city to allow foreign visitors a 72-hour visa-free stay after Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

The city is also the fourth-largest aviation hub in China. It has 247 routes to 191 cities, including 83 international routes, and each day 8,786 passengers pass through the airport.

Chengdu aims to become a world travel hub, and, to this end, it is strengthening its cooperation with other tourist spots in Sichuan province, especially in the Aba Tibetan and Qiang autonomous prefecture, where there are many natural attractions, such as the Jiuzhaigou Valley and Huanglong Mountain.

Huang Xinchu, Party chief of Chengdu, said Chengdu and Aba are joining hands to promote the two places as a dream journey for tourists from around the world.

From Aug 8 to 12, Chengdu and Aba are presenting for global visitors to the Milan Expo their natural wonders, fascinating cultures, and distinctive foods under the theme "Country of Heaven Dream Tour". Five events or sites are being recommended to visitors.

The first is visiting the pandas in Chengdu. The city is known as the home of the giant panda. The best choices for seeing the animals in their natural setting is at the breeding center for giant pandas in the northern suburbs of Chengdu and a nature reserve in Dujiangyan, less than 60 kilometers from Chengdu.

Dujiangyan is named after the famous irrigation system built in 256 BC during the Warring States period of China by the State of Qin. It is the oldest irrigation system in the world still in use today. You can learn the history and engineering feats of this UNESCO World Heritage Site through a performance show.

The second is enjoying Sichuan Opera, which was famous in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) thanks to its three distinct features: Changing Faces, Spitting Fire and Rolling Light. You should make sure to include an opera on your itinerary if you stay in Chengdu. The best places to see Sichuan Opera are Shufengyayun Operatic Circle and Jinjiang Theatre.

The third must-do is tasting Sichuan cuisine in Chengdu, which is perhaps the most popular of all the eight major Chinese cuisines.

There are many choices when it comes to savoring the real flavor of Sichuan cooking in Chengdu, but a hot pot is one of the most popular. Eating hotpot in Chengdu is almost compulsory. Try Huangcheng Laoma Restaurant to try a traditional hot pot or Chuanxi Bazi to the new style of hot pot.

During the Milan Expo on Aug 6, visitors were bathed in the tempting smell of Sichuan cuisine. Top Sichuan chefs and winner of the first round of the Sichuan cuisine ambassadors event demonstrated their cooking skills to the visitors.

In July, the Chengdu Tourism Bureau and Chengdu Culture and Tourism Development Group started an event to recruit global ambassadors of Sichuan cuisine. People over 18 years old from around the world were invited to describe what they loved about Sichuan cuisine and to share their most appetizing photos on social media.

The winner also invited visitors to taste and learn to cook the classic Sichuan dishes such as kung pao chicken and xiba tofu.

The fourth must-do is a journey on the traditional route from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992, that passes through Dujiangyan, Wenchuan and Maoxian county.

Along the way you can see Qingcheng Mountain, one of the birthplaces of the Taoist religion, and Diexi Lake, maybe the most beautiful legacy of an earthquake. Then feast your eyes on the beauty of Huanglong Mountain and the grasslands in Jiuzhaigou Valley. The scenery is stunning no matter which season you go in. A flight from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou only takes 40 minutes.

The final must-do is experiencing the Buddhist culture in Leshan, which is a prefecture-level city less than a two-hour drive from Chengdu. Leshan has two famous scenic attractions: the Leshan Giant Buddha and Emei Mountain. At the Leshan Giant Buddha, you can visit Lingyun Temple, one of three temples in China that is at least a thousand years old. Emei Mountain is one of the four mountains in China famous for Buddhism.

The five recommendations will be also promoted on Ctrip, a leading online travel agency in China that allows foreign tourists to easily plan their trips and purchase flights and hotels.

liyang@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 08/11/2015 page7)