Chengdu, Sichuan:

inside Guihu Park

In September 2017, work brought me once again to China and more specifically to Chengdu in the province of Sichuan.

I spent most of my days at the Southwest Petroleum University at the city’s northern outskirts. The extensive campus has beautiful parks and I could even spot some pretty birds.

Southwest Petroleum University

park in the Southwest Petroleum University

basketball courts at the Southwest Petroleum University

park in the Southwest Petroleum University

park in the Southwest Petroleum University

Black-throated Tit

Black-throated Tit

White Wagtail

Little Grebe

Red-billed Starling

White-browed Laughingthrush

Light-vented Bulbul

Light-vented Bulbul

Light-vented Bulbul

juvenile Light-vented Bulbul

Together with colleagues, I visited the Dujiangyan Irrigation Project approximately 60 km northwest of Chengdu. This UNESCO World Heritage Site was constructed in the 3rd century BC to control the seasonal flooding of the Min River and is still in use today! A number of canals are used to tame the river and irrigate millions of hectares of farmland – a truly impressive feat!

leaving Chengdu

entrance to the Dujiangyan Irrigation Project

beautiful architecture

beautiful architecture

park at the Dujiangyan Irrigation Project

statue of Zhuge Liang

Dujiangyan Irrigation Project

Dujiangyan Irrigation Project

entrance to the Bottle-Neck Channel

entrance to the Bottle-Neck Channel

at the Feishayan Spillway

Inner River

suspension bridge

temple in the hills

at the Inner River

Fish Mouth Levee

bridge across the Outer River

bridge across the Outer River

Outer River

After work in Chengdu was finished, we traveled to the mountains of Emei Shan, 130 km southwest of Chengdu, to conduct some field work. The weather was quite terrible with an almost constant drizzle of rain, but the scenery of lush forests and mountain streams was beautiful!

at the Emei Shan

path across the woods

tiny village in Emei Shan

village life

corn cobs

corn cobs

corn cobs

tiny village in Emei Shan

forests of Emei Shan

forests of Emei Shan

hiking path

Nephila spider

entrance gate to Emei Shan

hiking through Emei Shan

forests of Emei Shan

forests of Emei Shan

rain drops in spider webs

Emei Shan

On the way back to Chengdu, we stopped at the fantastic Leshan Grand Buddha, which I had already visited in 2015 (see here). Yet another UNESCO World Heritage Site, the 71-m-high Buddha Statue was constructed from 713 to 803 and is a truly unbelievable sight!

Min River

Leshan City

north entrance

inside the park

old buddha carving

a dragon

Maitreya

Leshan Grand Buddha

Leshan Grand Buddha

Leshan Grand Buddha

Leshan Grand Buddha

Leshan Grand Buddha

Grand Buddha overlooking the Min River

Leshan Grand Buddha

Leshan City

staircase in the cliff

ancient buddhas

fingers of the Buddha

fingers of the Buddha

at the Buddha’s feet

Leshan Grand Buddha

Leshan Grand Buddha

staircase in the cliff

at the Min River

view towards Emei Shan

view towards Emei Shan

temple at Leshan

inside a temple

After our return to Chengdu, we visited the Chengdu Panda Base where researchers study Giant and Red Pandas to secure the species’ survival.

Chengdu Panda Base

Swan Lake

at Swan Lake

paths through the Chengdu Panda Base

Giant Panda

Giant Panda

Giant Panda

baby pandas

baby pandas

baby panda

inside the Red Panda Enclosure

Red Panda

Red Panda

I took a few video clips of the pandas in their enclosures:

Before my flight would bring me back to Germany, I had the chance to see the ultramodern city centre of Chengdu with its fancy shopping malls and impressive skyscrapers. Additionally, I visited the much more serene Guihu Park and Baoguang Monastery close to the Southwest Petroleum University.

city centre of Chengdu

city centre of Chengdu

shopping street

shopping street

city centre of Chengdu

city centre of Chengdu

city centre of Chengdu

city centre of Chengdu

city centre of Chengdu

city centre of Chengdu

food stalls

lanterns

entrance to Guihu Park

inside Guihu Park

inside Guihu Park

inside Guihu Park

inside Guihu Park

ancient city wall

ancient city wall

inside Guihu Park

inside Guihu Park

inside Guihu Park

ancient city wall

Guihu Forest Plaza

Guihu Forest Plaza

Chinese Pond Heron

bridge in the park

ancient city wall

pagoda in Baoguang Monastery

Baoguang Monastery

Baoguang Monastery

Baoguang Monastery

inside the Arhat Hall

Baoguang Monastery

Monk Tower Forest

garden of the monastery

Baoguang Plaza

This was my fifth journey to China and my fourth visit to Chengdu, but I was still lucky enough to see something new.