*Chengdu: Panda Institute, Wenshu Monastery, Wangjianglou Pavilion

Visit Panda Institute, Wenshu Monastery, Tea House, Wangjianglou Pavilion with lunch.

About Chengdu: Get comfortable in a bamboo chair and watch life go by in one of Chengdu's countless teahouses. Feast on the famously spicy Sichuan cuisine, and don't forget to visit the pandas.

A giant statue of Chairman Mao marks the center of Chengdu. Surrounded by flashy advertisements, the chairman oversees the movements in the capital of Sichuan Province from atop his podium. The Sichuan is endowed with fertile land and its nickname, "China's breadbasket" and is fitting considering there are more than 40 ethnic minorities living in the province. Chengdu is over 2,500-year-old; paper money was first used here during the Song dynasty, but despite its laidback feel, is rapidly developing as an important commercial center in western China. In the drive to modernization, many of Chengdu's traditional areas have been torn down, but there are still enough traditional areas and historical sights to keep visitors entertained.

City Guide of Chengdu