China Guide
Sichuan and Chongqing
Ringed by mountains, Sichuan and Chongqing stretch for more than 1000km across China's southwest. Administratively divided in 1997, when Chongqing Shi was carved off the eastern end of Sichuan province, the region has long played the renegade, differing from the rest of China in everything from food to politics. One of the most pleasant areas of China, eastern Sichuan is focused around Chengdu, the relaxed provincial capital. Elsewhere, visitors can join pilgrims on Emei Shan in a hike up the holy mountain's forested slopes, or sail down the Yangzi from Chongqing, industrial powerhouse and terminus of one of the world's great river journeys, via the Three Gorges.
You'll also find that the influence of Buddhism has literally become part of the landscape, most notably at Leshan, where Dafo, a giant Buddha sculpted into riverside cliffs, provides one of the most evocative images of China; and farther east at Dazu, whose wooded hillsides conceal a marvellous procession of stone carvings.
In contrast, western Sichuan is dominated by densely buckled ranges overflowing from the heights of Tibet; this is a wild, thinly populated land of snowcapped peaks, where yaks roam the treeline and roads negotiate hair-raising gradients as they cross ridges or follow deep river valleys. Occupied but untamed by Han China, the west has its appeal in its Tibetan heritage – clearly visible in the many important monasteries – and raw, rugged alpine scenery. Nearest to Chengdu, there's a chance to see giant pandas at Wolong Nature Reserve, while travelling north towards Gansu takes you through ethnic Hui and Qiang heartlands past the vivid blue lakes and beautiful mountain scenery of Songpan. Due west of Chengdu, the real wilds begin around the monastery town of Litang.
Highlights
1 Huanglongxi Tidy village of authentic Qing-dynasty shops and temples.
2 Emei Shan A tough climb is rewarded with gorgeous scenery and monasteries that make atmospheric places to stay.
3 Dafo, Leshan You will never forget the first time you see this gargantuan statue of the Buddha.
4 Dazu China's most exquisite collection of Buddhist rock art, illustrating religious parables and cartoon-like scenes from daily life.
5 Cruising the Yangzi Relax as the magnificent scenery of the towering Three Gorges glides past your boat.
6 Wolong Giant Panda Research Base The best place to see pandas in something resembling their natural habitat.
7 Horse-trekking, Songpan A chance to get really out into the wild and give your feet – though not your seat – a rest.
8 Litang Gritty Tibetan monastery town in the heart of Sichuan's wild west, where monks and cowboys tear around on motorbikes.