During antiquity, Sichuan was home to the kingdoms ofBa andShu until their incorporation by theQin. During theThree Kingdoms era (220–280),Liu Bei's state ofShu was based in Sichuan. The area was devastated in the 17th century byZhang Xianzhong's rebellion and the area's subsequentManchu conquest. However, the area recovered to become one of China's most productive areas by the 19th century. DuringWorld War II, Chongqing served as the temporary capital of theRepublic of China, and washeavily bombed. It was one of the lastmainland areas captured by thePeople's Liberation Army during theChinese Civil War, and was divided into four parts from 1949 to 1952, with Chongqing restored two years later. It suffered gravely during theGreat Chinese Famine (1959–1961) but remained China'smost-populous province until Chongqing was again separated from it in 1997.
It is commonly assumed that the nameSichuan means 'fourrivers'; infolk etymology, this is usually taken to mean any four of the province's major rivers:Jialing,Jinsha (or theYangtze),Wu,Min, andTuo.[9][10][11] According to historical geographerTan Qixiang, 'four rivers' is an erroneous interpretation of the name.[12] The name of the province is a contraction of the phrases 'Four PlainCircuits' (四川路;Sìchuān lù) and 'Four Circuits of Chuanxia' (川峽四路;chuānxiásìlù),[13] referring to the division of the existingimperial administrative circuit in the area into four during theNorthern Song dynasty, which wereYizhou,Lizhou,Zizhou, andKuizhou.[14] The wordchuan (川) here means 'plain', not its typical meaning of 'river' as popularly assumed.[15][16] In addition to itspostal map andWade–Giles forms, the name has also been irregularly romanized asSzű-chuan andSzechuen.
In antiquity, the area of modern Sichuan including the now-separated Chongqing Municipality was known to the Chinese asBa–Shu, in reference to theancient state ofBa and theancient kingdom of Shu that once occupied theSichuan Basin.Shu continued to be used to refer to the region to the present day; several states formed in the area used the same name, for example, theShu of theThree Kingdoms period (220–280), andFormer Shu andLater Shu of theTen Kingdoms period (907–979).[17] Currently, both characters forShu andChuan are common abbreviations for Sichuan.[18]
The region was formerly referred to as "West China" or "Western China" byProtestant missions.
TheSichuan Basin and adjacent areas of theYangtze watershed were a cradle of indigenous civilizations dating back to at least the 15th century BC, coinciding with theShang in northern China. The region had its own distinct religious beliefs and worldview. The earliest excavated culture found therein is theBaodun culture (c.2700–1750 BC) excavated in theChengdu Plain.[19][20]
Shu occupied the valley of theMin, includingChengdu and other areas of western Sichuan.[21] The existence of the early state of Shu was poorly recorded in the main historical records of China. It was, however, referred to in theBook of Documents as an ally of the Zhou.[22] Accounts of Shu exist mainly as a mixture of mythological stories and historical legends recorded in local annals such as theChronicles of Huayang compiled in theJin dynasty (266–420),[23][24] and the Han-dynasty compilationChronicle of the Kings of Shu [zh].[25] These contained folk stories such as that ofEmperor Duyu who taught the people agriculture and transformed himself into a cuckoo after his death.[26] The existence of a highly developed civilization with an independent bronze industry in Sichuan was excavated in 1986 at a small village namedSanxingdui inGuanghan, Sichuan.[26] This site, believed to be an ancient city of Shu, was initially discovered by a local farmer in 1929 who found jade and stone artifacts. Excavations by archeologists yielded few significant finds until 1986 when two major sacrificial pits were found with spectacular bronze items as well as artifacts in jade, gold, earthenware, and stone.[27] This and other discoveries in Sichuan contest the conventional historiography that the local culture and technology of Sichuan were undeveloped in comparison to the technologically and culturally "advanced"Yellow River valley of north-central China.[citation needed]
The rulers of the expansionist state ofQin, based in present-dayGansu andShaanxi, were the first strategists to realize that the area's military importance matched its commercial and agricultural significance. The Sichuan basin is surrounded by theHengduan Mountains to the west, theQin Mountains to the north, andYungui Plateau to the south. Since the Yangtze flows through the basin and then through the perilous Three Gorges to eastern and southern China, Sichuan was a staging area for amphibious military forces and a haven for political refugees.[citation needed]
Qin armies finished their conquest of the kingdoms of Shu and Ba by 316 BC. Any written records and civil achievements of earlier kingdoms were destroyed. Qin administrators introduced improved agricultural technology.Li Bing, engineered theDujiangyan irrigation system to control theMin River, a majortributary of the Yangtze. This innovative hydraulic system was composed of movable weirs which could be adjusted for high or low water flow according to the season, to either provide irrigation or prevent floods. The increased agricultural output and taxes made the area a source of provisions and men for Qin's unification of China.[citation needed]
A stone-carved gate pillar, orque, 6 m (20 ft) in total height, located at the tomb of Gao Yi in Ya'an, Sichuan, built during theEastern Han dynasty (25–220 CE)
Sichuan was subjected to the autonomous control of kings named by the imperial family of the Han dynasty. During the 11 years hiatus between 25 and 36 AD, Sichuan was controlled by theChengjia Kingdom. Following the declining central government of theHan dynasty in the second century, the Sichuan basin, surrounded by mountains and easily defensible, became a popular place for upstart generals to found kingdoms that challenged the authority of Yangtze Valley emperors over China.[28]
In 221, during the partition following the fall of theEastern Han – the era of theThree Kingdoms –Liu Bei founded the southwest kingdom ofShu Han (蜀漢; 221–263) in parts of Sichuan, Guizhou, and Yunnan, withChengdu as its capital. Shu-Han claimed to be the successor to the Han dynasty.[28]
Sichuan came under the firm control of a Chinese central government during theSui dynasty, but it was during the subsequentTang dynasty that Sichuan regained its previous political and cultural prominence for which it was known during the Han. Chengdu became nationally known as a supplier of armies and the home ofDu Fu, who is sometimes called China's greatest poet. During theAn Lushan Rebellion (755–763),Emperor Xuanzong of Tang fled fromChang'an to Sichuan which became his refuge. The region was torn by constant warfare and economic distress as it was besieged by theTibetan Empire.[29]
During theSong dynasty (960–1279),Sichuanese was able to protect themselves fromTibetan attacks with the help of the central government. There were rebellions against the Song by Li Shun in 994 and Wang Jun in 1000. Sichuan also saw cultural revivals like the great poetsSu Xun (蘇洵),Su Shi, andSu Zhe.[29] Although paper currency was known in the Tang dynasty, in 1023 AD, the first truepaper money in human history (交子;jiāozǐ) was issued inChengdu.[30][31][32]
It was also during the Song dynasty that the bulk of the nativeBa people of eastern Sichuan assimilated into the Han Chinese ethnicity.[33]
In the 12th and 13th centuries, the Southern Song dynasty established coordinated defenses against theMongolianYuan dynasty, in Sichuan andXiangyang. The Southern Song state monopolized the Sichuantea industry to pay for warhorses, but this state intervention eventually brought devastation to the local economy.[34] The line of defense was finally broken through after the first use offirearms in history during the six-yearBattle of Xiangyang, which ended in 1273. Allegedly there were a million pieces of unspecified types of skeleton bones belonging to war animals and both Song and Yuan soldiers who perished in the fighting over the city, although the figure may have been grossly exaggerated.[35] The recorded number of families in Sichuan dropped from 2,640,000 families,[36] as recorded from the census taken in 1162 AD, to 120,000 families[37] in 1282 AD.[38] Possible causes include forced population transfer to nearby areas, evacuation to nearby provinces, census under-reporting or inaccuracy, and war-related deaths.[citation needed]One instance of the deportation of Sichuanese civilians to Mongolia occurred in the aftermath of a battle in 1259 when more than 80,000 people were taken captive from one city in Sichuan and moved to Mongolia.[39]
The Ming dynasty defeatedMing Yuzhen's Xia polity which ruled Sichuan.[40]
During theMing dynasty, major architectural works were created in Sichuan. Buddhism remained influential in the region.Bao'en Temple is a well-preserved 15th-century monastery complex built between 1440 and 1446 during theZhengtong Emperor's reign (1427–64). Dabei Hall enshrines a thousand-armed wooden image ofGuanyin and Huayan Hall is a repository with a revolvingsutra cabinet. The wall paintings, sculptures, and other ornamental details are masterpieces of the Ming period.[41]
In the middle of the 17th century, the peasant rebel leaderZhang Xianzhong (1606–1646) fromYan'an,Shaanxi Province, nicknamedYellow Tiger, led his peasant troop from north China to the south and conquered Sichuan. Upon capturing it, he declared himself emperor of the Daxi dynasty (大西王朝). In response to the resistance from local elites, he massacred a large number of people in Sichuan, killing around one in three people.[42][43] As a result of the massacre as well as years of turmoil during theMing-Qing transition, the population of Sichuan fell sharply, requiring massive resettlement of people from the neighboringHuguang Province (modern Hubei and Hunan) and other provinces during the Qing dynasty.[44][45][46]
Sichuan was originally the origin of the Deng lineage until one of them was hired as an official in Guangdong during the Ming dynasty but during the Qing plan to increase the population in 1671 they came to Sichuan again. In 1904Deng Xiaoping was born in Sichuan.[47]
During theQing dynasty, Sichuan was merged withShaanxi andShanxi to create "Shenzhuan" during 1680–1731 and 1735–1748.[29] The current borders of Sichuan (which then includedChongqing) were established in the early 18th century. In the aftermath of theSino-Nepalese War on China's southwestern border, the Qing gave Sichuan's provincial government direct control over the minority-inhabited areas of Sichuan west ofKangding, which had previously been handled by anamban.[45]
Alandslide dam on theDadu River caused by an earthquake gave way on 10 June 1786. The resulting flood killed 100,000 people.[48]
Japanese bombers bombing a road inChongqing, then part of Sichuan province, during WW2
In the early 20th century, the newly foundedRepublic of China established the Chuanbian Special Administrative District (川邊特別行政區) on the province's territories to the west of theSichuan Basin. The Special District later became the province ofXikang, incorporating the areas inhabited byYi,Tibetan, andQiang ethnic minorities to its west, and eastern part of today'sTibet Autonomous Region.[citation needed]
TheSecond Sino-Japanese War was soon followed by the resumedChinese Civil War, and the cities of East China are obtained by the Communists one after another, the Kuomintang government again tried to make Sichuan its stronghold on the mainland, although it already saw some Communist activity since it was one area on the road of theLong March. Chiang Kai-shek himself flew to Chongqing fromTaiwan in November 1949 to lead the defense. But the same month Chongqing switched to the Communists, followed by Chengdu on 10 December. The Kuomintang generalWang Sheng wanted to stay behind with his troops to continue the anticommunist guerilla war in Sichuan, but was recalled to Taiwan. Many of his soldiers made their way there as well, viaBurma.[50]
The People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, and it split Sichuan into four areas and separated Chongqing municipality. Sichuan was reconstituted in 1952, with Chongqing added in 1954, while the formerXikang province was split betweenTibet in the west and Sichuan in the east.[29]
The province was deeply affected by theGreat Chinese Famine of 1959–1961, during which period some 9.4 million people (13.07% of the population at the time) died.[51]
In 1978, whenDeng Xiaoping took power, Sichuan was one of the first provinces to experiment with the market economic enterprise.
From 1955 until 1997, Sichuan had been China's most populous province; the population hit the 100 million mark shortly after the 1982 census figure of 99,730,000.[52] This changed in 1997 when theSub-provincial city of Chongqing as well as the three surrounding prefectures ofFuling,Wanxian, andQianjiang were split off into the newChongqing Municipality. The new municipality was formed to spearhead China's effort to economically develop its western provinces, as well as to coordinate the resettlement of residents from the reservoir areas of theThree Gorges Dam project.
On 12 May 2008,an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.9/8.0 hit just 79 km (49 mi) northwest of the provincial capital of Chengdu. Official figures recorded a death toll of over 87,000 people, and millions of people were left homeless.[55]
^New district established after 2010 census:Anzhou (Anxian County). The new district not included in the urban area count of the pre-expanded city.
^New districts established after 2010 census:Nanxi (Nanxi County),Xuzhou (Yibin County). These new districts not included in the urban area count of the pre-expanded city.
^New district established after 2010 census:Dachuan (Daxian County). The new district not included in the urban area count of the pre-expanded city.
^New district established after 2010 census:Pengshan (Pengshan County). The new district not included in the urban area count of the pre-expanded city.
^New district established after 2010 census:Luojiang (Luojiang County). The new district not included in the urban area count of the pre-expanded city.
^Shehong County is currently known as Shehong CLC after 2010 census.
^New district established after 2010 census:Mingshan (Mingshan County). The new district not included in the urban area count of the pre-expanded city.
^Longchang County is currently known as Longchang CLC after 2010 census.
^Kangding County is currently known as Kangding CLC after 2010 census.
^Barkam County is currently known as Barkam CLC after 2010 census.
Sichuan consists of two geographically very distinct parts. The eastern part of the province is mostly within the fertileSichuan basin (which is shared by Sichuan with Chongqing Municipality). The western Sichuan consists of numerous mountain ranges forming the easternmost part of theTibetan Plateau, which are known generically as theHengduan Mountains. One of these ranges, theDaxue Mountains, contains the highest point of the provinceGongga Shan, at 7,556 m (24,790 ft) above sea level. The mountains are formed by the collision of the Tibetan Plateau with theYangtze Plate. Faults here include theLongmenshan Fault which ruptured during the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. Other mountain ranges surround the Sichuan Basin from north, east, and south. Among them are theDaba Mountains, in the province's northeast.
TheYangtze River and its tributaries flow through the mountains of western Sichuan and the Sichuan Basin; thus, the province is upstream of the great cities that stand along the Yangtze River further to the east, such asChongqing,Wuhan,Nanjing, andShanghai. One of the major tributaries of the Yangtze within the province is theMin River of central Sichuan, which joins the Yangtze atYibin. There are also a number of other rivers, such as theJialing River,Tuo River,Yalong River,Wu River, andJinsha River, and any four of the various rivers are often grouped as the "four rivers" that the name of Sichuan is commonly and mistakenly believed to mean.[9][10]
Giant pandas live inbamboo forests and low mountainous areas such as theMinshan Mountains in Sichuan.[63] The majority of the panda population lives in Sichuan, with their range spreading intoShaanxi andGansu. As it is abundant where they live, pandas' diet consists of 99% bamboo, with small other plants, or small animals consisting of the other 1%. As the panda is native to China, they have become a nationalsymbol of China.[64]
Due to great differences in terrain, the climate of the province is highly variable. In general, it has strongmonsoonal influences, with rainfall heavily concentrated in the summer. Under theKöppen climate classification, theSichuan Basin (includingChengdu) in the eastern half of the province experiences ahumid subtropical climate (KöppenCwa orCfa), with long, hot, wet summers and short, mild to cool, dry, and cloudy winters. Consequently, it has China's lowest sunshine totals.
The western region has mountainous areas producing a cooler but sunnier climate. Having cool to very cold winters and mild summers, temperatures generally decrease with greater elevation. Due to high altitude and inland location, the far northwestern areas likeGarzê County andZoigê County exhibit asubalpine climate (KöppenDwc) or even analpine climate (ETH), featuring frigid winters down to −30 °C or −22 °F and even cold summer nights. The region is geologically active with landslides and earthquakes. Average elevation ranges from 2,000 to 3,500 metres or 6,600 to 11,500 feet; average temperatures range from 0 to 15 °C or 32 to 59 °F.[65]
The southern part of the province, including Panzhihua and Xichang, has a sunny climate with short, very mild winters and very warm to hot summers.
The politics of Sichuan is structured in a dual party-government system like all other governing institutions inmainland China.
Thegovernor of Sichuan is the highest-ranking official in the People's Government of Sichuan. However, in the province's dual party-government governing system, the Governor has less power than theParty Secretary of Sichuan, colloquially termed the "Sichuan CCP Party Chief".
TheSichuan Provincial Public Security Department [zh] is the primary law enforcement agency in Sichuan. It has a SWAT unit, a forestry unit, an anti-drug unit, an economic crime unit, a food safety unit and an investigation unit.[67] In 2021, the agency had a budget of 45.8 millionRenminbi.[67]
Sichuan is the6th-largest provincial economy of China, the largest inWestern China and the second largest among inland provinces afterHenan. As of 2021, its nominal GDP was 5,385 billion yuan (US$847.68 billion), ahead of the GDP of Turkey of 815 billion.[6][7] Compared to a country, it would be the18th-largest economy as well as the19th most populous as of 2021.[8] As of 2021, its nominal GDP per capita was 64,357 RMB (US$10,120).[6] In 2021, the per capita net income of rural residents was 17,575 yuan (US$2760). The per capitadisposable income of the urbanites averaged 41,444 yuan (US$6510).
Sichuan has been historically known as the "Province of Abundance". It is one of the major agricultural production bases of China. Grain, including rice and wheat, is the major product with output that ranked first in China in 1999. Commercial crops include citrus fruits, sugar cane, sweet potatoes, peaches, and grapes. Sichuan also had the largest output of pork among all the provinces and the second largest output of silkworm cocoons in 1999. Sichuan is rich in mineral resources. It has more than 132 kinds of proven underground mineral resources including vanadium, titanium, and lithium is the largest in China. The Panxi region alone possesses 13.3% of the reserves of iron, 93% of titanium, 69% of vanadium, and 83% of cobalt in the whole country.[73] Sichuan also possesses China's largest proven natural gas reserves (such as theDazhou andYuanba gas fields), the majority of which are transported to more developed eastern regions.[54]
Sichuan is one of the major industrial centers of China. It was a major recipient of China's investment in industrial capacity during theThird Front campaign.[74]: 298 In addition to heavy industries such as coal, energy, iron, and steel, the province has also established a light industrial sector comprising building materials, wood processing, food, and silk processing.Chengdu andMianyang are the production centers for textiles and electronics products.Deyang,Panzhihua, andYibin are the production centers for machinery, metallurgical industries, and wine, respectively. Sichuan's wine production accounted for 21.9% of the country's total production in 2000.
Great strides have been made in developing Sichuan into a modern hi-tech industrial base, by encouraging both domestic and foreign investments in electronics and information technology (such as software), machinery and metallurgy (including automobiles), hydropower, pharmaceutical, food and beverage industries.
The auto industry is an important and key sector of the machinery industry in Sichuan. Most of the auto manufacturing companies are located in Chengdu, Mianyang,Nanchong, andLuzhou.[75]
Sichuan's landscapes and rich historical relics have also made the province a center for tourism.
TheThree Gorges Dam, the largestdam ever constructed, was built on theYangtze River in nearbyHubei province to control flooding in the Sichuan Basin, neighboringYunnan province, and downstream. The plan is hailed by some as China's efforts to shift towards alternative energy sources and to further develop its industrial and commercial bases, but has been denounced for mass resettlement, loss of archeological sites, and ecological damage.
Chengdu Hi-tech Comprehensive Free Trade Zone was established with the approval of theState Council on October 18, 2010, and passed the national acceptance on February 25, 2011. It was officially operated in May 2011. Chengdu High-tech Comprehensive Free Trade Zone is integrated and expanded from the former Chengdu Export Processing Zone and Chengdu Bonded Logistics Center. it is located in the Chengdu West High-tech Industrial Development Zone, with an area of 4.68 square kilometers and divided into three areas A, B, and C. The industries focus on notebook computer manufacturing, tablet computer manufacturing, wafer manufacturing, chip packaging testing, electronic components, precision machining, and the biopharmaceutical industry. Chengdu Hi-Tech Comprehensive Free Trade Zone has attracted the top 500 multinational enterprises such as Intel, Foxconn, Texas Instruments, Dell, Morse, and so on.
In 2020, the Chengdu Hi-Tech Comprehensive Free Trade Zone achieved a total import and export volume of 549.1 billion yuan (including the Shuangliu Sub-zone), accounting for 68% of the province's total foreign trade import and export volume, ranking first in the national comprehensive insurance zone import and export volume for three consecutive years.
Chengdu Economic and Technological Development Zone
Chengdu Economic and Technological Development Zone (Chinese:成都经济技术开发区; pinyin:Chéngdū jīngjì jìshù kāifā qū) was approved as state-level development zone in February 2000. The zone now has a developed area of 10.25 km2 (3.96 sq mi) and a planned area of 26 km2 (10 sq mi). Chengdu Economic and Technological Development Zone (CETDZ) lies 13.6 km (8.5 mi) east of Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan Province and the hub of transportation and communication in southwest China. The zone has attracted investors and developers from more than 20 countries to carry out their projects there. Industries encouraged in the zone include mechanical, electronic, new building materials, medicine, and food processing.[76]
ChengduExport Processing Zone (Chinese:成都出口加工区; pinyin:Chéngdū chūkǒu jiāgōng qū)) was ratified by the State Council as one of the first 15 export processing zones in the country in April 2000. In 2002, the state ratified the establishment of the Sichuan Chengdu Export Processing West Zone with a planned area of 1.5 km2 (0.58 sq mi), located inside the west region of the Chengdu Hi-tech Zone.[77]
Established in 1988, Chengdu Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone (Chinese:成都高新技术产业开发区; pinyin:Chéngdū Gāoxīn Jìshù Chǎnyè Kāifā Qū) was approved as one of the first national hi-tech development zones in 1991. In 2000, it was open toAPEC and has been recognized as a national advanced hi-tech development zone in successive assessment activities held by China's Ministry of Science and Technology. It ranks 5th among the 53 national hi-tech development zones in China in terms of comprehensive strength.
Chengdu Hi-tech Development Zone covers an area of 82.5 km2 (31.9 sq mi), consisting of South Park and West Park. By relying on the city sub-center, which is under construction, South Park is focusing on creating a modernized industrial park of science and technology with scientific and technological innovation, incubation R&D, modern service industry, and Headquarters economy playing leading roles. Priority has been given to the development of the software industry. Located on both sides of the "Chengdu-Dujiangyan-Jiuzhaigou" golden tourism channel, the West Park aims at building a comprehensive industrial park targeting industrial clustering with complete supportive functions. West Park gives priority to three major industries i.e. electronic information, biomedicine, and precision machinery.[78]
Mianyang Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone was established in 1992, with a planned area of 43 km2 (17 sq mi). The zone is situated 96 kilometers away from Chengdu and is 8 km (5.0 mi) away from Mianyang Airport. Since its establishment, the zone accumulated 177.4 billion yuan of industrial output, 46.2 billion yuan of gross domestic product, and fiscal revenue of 6.768 billion yuan. There are more than 136 high-tech enterprises in the zone and they accounted for more than 90% of the total industrial output.
The zone is a leader in the electronic information industry, biological medicine, new materials, and the production of motor vehicles and parts.[79]
For millennia, Sichuan's rugged and riverine landscape presented enormous challenges to the development of transportation infrastructure, and the lack of roads out of the Sichuan Basin contributed to the region's isolation. Since the 1950s, numerous highways and railways have been built through the Qinling in the north and the Bashan in the east. Dozens of bridgesacross the Yangtze and its tributaries to the south and west have brought greater connectivity with Yunnan and Tibet.
On 3 November 2007, the Sichuan Transportation Bureau announced that theSuining-Chongqing Expressway was completed after three years of construction. After the completion of the Chongqing section of the road, the 36.64 km (22.77 mi) expressway connectedChengdu-Nanchong Expressway and formed the shortest expressway fromChengdu toChongqing. The new expressway is 50 km (31 mi) shorter than the pre-existing road between Chengdu and Chongqing; thus journey time between the two cities was reduced by an hour, now taking two and a half hours. The Sui-Yu Expressway is a four-lane overpass with a speed limit of 80 km/h (50 mph). The total investment was 1.045 billionyuan.
Chongqing was part of Sichuan Province until 1939 and 1954 to 1997. Xikang Province dissolved in 1955 and parts were incorporated into Sichuan Province.
The majority of the province's population isHan Chinese (95% of the provincial population), who are found scattered throughout the region except for the far western areas. Thus, significant minorities ofTibetan,Yi,Qiang, andNakhi people reside in the western portion that is impacted by inclement weather and natural disasters, environmentally fragile, and impoverished. Sichuan's capital ofChengdu is home to a large community of Tibetans, with 30,000 permanent Tibetan residents and up to 200,000 Tibetanfloating population.[91] TheEastern Lipo, included with either the Yi or theLisu people, as well as theA-Hmao, also are among the ethnic groups of the provinces.
"Ashoka-type Buddha", 551 AD. An early example of Sichuanese Buddhist art with heavy Indian influence.[97]
The predominant religions in Sichuan areChinese folk religions,Taoist traditions, andChinese Buddhism. According to surveys conducted in 2007 and 2009, 10.6% of the population believes and is involved incults of ancestors, while 0.68% of the population identifies asChristian.[96] According to the Japanese publicationTokyo Sentaku in 1999, there were 2 million members ofYiguandao (Tiandao) in Sichuan, equal to 2.4% of the province's population.[94]
The reports did not give figures for other types of religion; the vast majority may be either irreligious or involved in Chinese folk religion, Buddhism, etc.Tibetan Buddhism is widespread, especially in areas inhabited by ethnic Tibetans. Sichuan is one of the cradles of the earlyHeavenly Masters' Taoist religious movements.
According to "Vestiges of Zoroastrianism in Medieval Sichuan" by Yao Chongxin, professor at Sun Yat-sen University,Zoroastrianism flourished during the period ofTang (618–907),Former Shu (907–925),Later Shu (934–965), andSong (960–1279).[98]
TheSichuanese people (Sichuanese:巴蜀人 Ba1su2ren2;IPA:[pa˥su˨˩zən˨˩]; alternatively川人,川渝人,四川人 or巴蜀民系) are a subgroup of Han Chinese living in mostly Sichuan province and the neighboringChongqing municipality. Beginning from the 9th century BC,Shu (on theChengdu Plain) andBa (which had its first capital atEnshi City inHubei and controlled part of theHan Valley) emerged as cultural and administrative centers where two rival kingdoms were established. Although eventually, theQin dynasty destroyed the kingdoms of Shu and Ba, the Qin government accelerated the technological and agricultural advancements of Sichuan making it comparable to that of theYellow River Valley. The now-extinctBa–Shu language was derived from Qin-era settlers and represents the earliest documented division from what is now calledMiddle Chinese.
During theYuan andMing dynasties, the population of the area was reduced through wars and thebubonic plague, and settlers arrived from the area of modern Hubei, replacing the earlier common Chinese with a new standard.
TheLi Bai Memorial, located inJiangyou, is a museum in memory of Li Bai, a Chinese poet ofTang China (618–907) built at the place where he grew up. The building was begun in 1962 on the occasion of the 1200th anniversary of his death, completed in 1981, and opened to the public in October 1982. The memorial is built in the style of the classic Tang garden.
In 2003, Sichuan had "88 art performing troupes, 185 culture centers, 133 libraries, and 52 museums". Companies based in Sichuan also produced 23 television series and one film.[101]
The Sichuanese once spoke their variety of Spoken Chinese called Ba-Shu Chinese, or Old Sichuanese before it became extinct during the Ming dynasty. Now most of them speak Sichuanese Mandarin. The Minjiang dialects are thought by some linguists[who?] to be a bona fide descendant of Old Sichuanese, but there is no conclusive evidence whether Minjiang dialects are derived from Old Sichuanese or Southwestern Mandarin.[citation needed]
The languages of Sichuan are primarily members of three subfamilies of theSino-Tibetan languages.
Sichuan brocade manufactured between the 7th and early 10th century, featuring double bird in floral roundel pattern; collection ofChengdu Museum.
Commonly known as "Shu brocade" (蜀錦) in Chinese, Sichuan brocade is referred to as the "mother of brocade in China" given its age.[108] This technique of embroidery originates in the capital city ofChengdu during the time of theAncient Kingdom of Shu. It enjoyed high popularity throughout the regions along theSilk Road, which stimulated an "exoticization" of the embroidery designs during the 1st millennium, with most of the patterns imported fromSogdia and other parts ofCentral Asia.[109] According to theBook of Sui, in the year 605 AD, the head of the Sichuan ateliers producing silks in the "western style" was a certain He Chou, a name which betrays his Sogdian origins.[110] Most of the silk products unearthed inXinjiang (Chinese Turkestan) andQinghai (Tuyuhun Kingdom) confirmed to be manufactured in Sichuan.[111]
Sichuan is well known for its spicy cuisine and use ofSichuan peppers due to its humid climate.The Sichuanese are proud of their cuisine, known as one of the Four Great Traditions ofChinese cuisine. The cuisine here is of "one dish, one shape, hundreds of dishes, hundreds of tastes", as the saying goes, to describe its acclaimed diversity. The most prominent traits of Sichuanese cuisine are described by four words: spicy, hot, fresh, and fragrant.[112] Sichuan cuisine is popular in the whole nation of China, and so are Sichuan chefs.
Hotpot
Another famous Sichuan delicacy ishot pot. Hot pot is a Chinese soup containing a variety of East Asian foodstuffs and ingredients, prepared with a simmering pot of soup stock at the dining table. While the hot pot is kept simmering, ingredients are placed into the pot and cooked at the table. Typical hot pot dishes include thinly sliced meat, leaf vegetables, mushrooms, wontons, egg dumplings, tofu, and seafood. The cooked food is usually eaten with a dipping sauce.
Kung Pao chicken, one of the best known dishes of Sichuan cuisine
As of July 2013, the world's largest building, theNew Century Global Center is located in Chengdu. At 328 ft (100 m) high, 1,640 ft (500 m) long, and 1,312 ft (400 m) wide, the Center houses retail outlets, movie theaters, offices, hotels, the Paradise Island waterpark, an artificial beach, a 164 yd (150 m)-longLED screen, skating rink, pirate ship, fake Mediterranean village, 24-hour artificial sun, and 15,000-spot parking area.[115]
Guifeng Zongmi (780–841), Tang dynasty Buddhist scholar-monk, fifth patriarch of theHuayan school as well as a patriarch of the Heze lineage of Southern Chan
Su Shi (8 January 1037 – 24 August 1101), Confucian bureaucrat official, poet, artist, calligrapher, pharmacologist, gastronome, and official bureaucrat of the Song dynasty
Su Xun (1009–1066), poet and prose-writer of the Song dynasty
Su Zhe (1039–1112), poet and essayist, a Confucian bureaucratic official of the Song dynasty
^Based on a 2006 survey of the distribution of Buddhist institutions in China,[93] assuming that the percentage of institutions per capita is consistent with the percentage of Buddhists (which has been proved so by data on other regions), the Buddhist religion would account for between 10% and 20% (≈15%) of the population of Sichuan.
^As of 2010 there are 11,200 Muslims in Sichuan.[95]
^Some of the data collected by the Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) of 2009 and by the Chinese Spiritual Life Survey (CSLS) of 2007 have been reported and assembled by Xiuhua Wang (2015)[96] in order to confront the proportion of people identifying with two similar social structures: ① Christian churches, and ② the traditional Chinese religion of the lineage (i. e. people believing and worshiping ancestral deities oflineage "churches" andancestral shrines). Data for other religions with a significant presence in China (deity cults, Buddhism, Taoism, folk religious sects, Islam, et al.) were not reported by Wang and come from different sources.
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