{"id":16491,"date":"2007-08-18T07:29:37","date_gmt":"2007-08-18T11:29:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/?p=16491"},"modified":"2020-08-11T13:26:05","modified_gmt":"2020-08-11T17:26:05","slug":"chengdu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/?p=16491","title":{"rendered":"Chengdu: Pandas and Poetry"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>August 18, 2007<\/p>\n<p>My small group of colleagues and I flew from Xi&#8217;an to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province and one of the most populated cities in China. Chengdu was another hazy smog-covered city with many huge factories and heavy traffic on all the roads. The lobby of the hotel:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-16492\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_3058.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"295\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The hotel was part of a line of commercial buildings with offices, shopping mall, restaurants, etc.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-16493\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_3267.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This was the view outside my window behind the hotel:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-16494\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_3061.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"288\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The region is known as the &#8220;Country of Heaven&#8221; and the &#8220;Land of Abundance&#8221; and has been inhabited for 4,000 years. Chengdu is recognized by UNESCO as a city of gastronomy and is also known for the giant pandas which live in Sichuan province.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-16495\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_3037.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"269\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-16496\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_3046.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"277\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Below is a photo of the shopping mall attached to the hotel. Our guide took us to a wonderful restaurant within the complex to sample Sichuan cooking which was very spicy but delicious!<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-16497\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_3064.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-16498\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_3070.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"335\" \/><\/p>\n<p>We drove out to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding which was created for conservation and protection of the pandas.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-16499\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_3078.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"299\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-16500\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_3108.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"338\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The reserve was divided into special areas by age of the pandas. Newborn babies were nursed by attendants indoors.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-16501\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_3126.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"336\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-16502\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_3131.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Adult pandas had large areas which simulated their natural habitat.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-16504\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_3110.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Juvenile pandas played and enjoyed large outdoor spaces:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-16503\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_3143.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"289\" \/><\/p>\n<p>We strolled through a park near the panda preserve and saw many people playing games.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-16515\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/08\/IMG_3166.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Later in the afternoon, we visited the Du Fu Thatched Cottage, a national heritage site, which is a park and museum built in honor of the Tang dynasty poet.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-16505\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_3205.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"283\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-16507\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_3196.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-16508\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_3209.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"303\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Du Fu lived from 712-770 and is considered to be one of the greatest Chinese poets. He lived in a simple thatched cottage near Chengdu for four years and wrote 240 poems during that time.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-16509\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_3223.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"321\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-16510\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_3238.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" \/><\/p>\n<p>It was a lovely peaceful park with beautiful grounds and lovely reconstructed buildings. A young musician provided delightful traditional music to make a perfect afternoon&#8217;s visit.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-16511\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_3243.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"311\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-16512\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_3251.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"339\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-16513\" src=\"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/IMG_3266.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"385\" height=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>August 18, 2007 My small group of colleagues and I flew from Xi&#8217;an to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province and one of the most populated cities in China. Chengdu was another hazy smog-covered city with many huge factories and heavy traffic on all the roads. The lobby of the hotel: The hotel was part [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[74],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-china"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16491","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16491"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16491\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16670,"href":"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16491\/revisions\/16670"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16491"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16491"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gallivantinggrandma.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16491"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}