Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the Sichuan Basin and the easternmost part of the Tibetan Plateau between the Jinsha River on the west, the Daba Mountains in the north and the Yungui Plateau to the south. Sichuan's capital city is

Chengdu Chengdu (, ; Simplified Chinese characters, simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively Romanization of Chi ...

. The population of Sichuan stands at 83 million. Sichuan neighbors Qinghai to the northwest,

Gansu Gansu (, ; alternately romanized as Kansu) is a province in Northwest China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeast part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibet ...

to the north, Shaanxi to the northeast,

Chongqing Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Romanization, alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a Direct-administered municipalities of China, municipality in Southwes ...

to the east, Guizhou to the southeast, Yunnan to the south, and the Tibet Autonomous Region to the west. In antiquity, Sichuan was the home of the ancient states of Ba and Shu. Their conquest by

Qin Qin may refer to: Dynasties and states * Qin (state) (秦), a major state during the Zhou Dynasty of ancient China * Qin dynasty (秦), founded by the Qin state in 221 BC and ended in 206 BC * Daqin (大秦), ancient Chinese name for the Roman Emp ...

strengthened it and paved the way for Qin Shi Huang's unification of China under the Qin dynasty. During the Three Kingdoms era, Liu Bei's state of Shu was based in Sichuan. The area was devastated in the 17th century by Zhang Xianzhong's rebellion and the area's subsequent

Manchu The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized ethnic minority in China and the people from whom Manchuria derives its name. The Later Jin (1616–1636) and ...

conquest, but recovered to become one of China's most productive areas by the 19th century. During World War II,

served as the temporary capital of the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

, making it the focus of the Japanese bombing. It was one of the last mainland areas captured by the

People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five service branches: the Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, ...

during the Chinese Civil War and was divided into four parts from 1949 to 1952, with Chongqing restored two years later. It suffered gravely during the

Great Chinese Famine The Great Chinese Famine () was a period between 1959 and 1961 in the history of the People's Republic of China (PRC) characterized by widespread famine. Some scholars have also included the years 1958 or 1962. It is widely regarded as the dead ...

of 1959–61 but remained China's most populous province until Chongqing Municipality was again separated from it in 1997. The Han Chinese people of Sichuan speak distinctive Sichuanese dialects of Mandarin Chinese. The spicy Sichuan pepper is prominent in modern

Sichuan cuisine Sichuan cuisine, alternatively romanized as Szechwan cuisine or Szechuan cuisine (, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), is a style of Chinese cuisine originating from Sichuan Province. It has bold flavours, particularly the pungency and spicin ...

, featuring dishes—including

Kung Pao chicken Kung Pao chicken (), also transcribed Gong Bao or Kung Po, is a spicy, stir-fried Chinese dish made with cubes of chicken, peanuts, vegetables (traditionally Welsh onion only ), and chili peppers. The classic dish in Sichuan cuisine originat ...

and mapo tofu—that have become staples of Chinese cuisine around the world. In 1950, the province of Xikang was dissolved and its territory was later split between the newly established Tibet Autonomous Region and the Province of Sichuan. The western and northwestern part of Sichuan is made up of

Tibetan Tibetan may mean: * of, from, or related to Tibet * Tibetan people, an ethnic group * Tibetan language: ** Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard ** Standard Tibetan, the most widely used spoken dial ...

and Qiang autonomous areas. Sichuan is the 6th-largest provincial economy of China, the largest in Western China and the second largest among inland provinces after Henan. As of 2021, its nominal GDP was 5,385 billion yuan (US$847.68 billion), ahead of the GDP of Turkey of 815 billion. Compared to a country, it would be the 18th-largest economy as well as the 19th most populous as of 2021. There are many panda stations in the province and large reserves for these creatures, such as Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda.

Names

It is commonly believed that the name ''Sichuan'' means "four

rivers A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

", and in

folk etymology Folk etymology (also known as popular etymology, analogical reformation, reanalysis, morphological reanalysis or etymological reinterpretation) is a change in a word or phrase resulting from the replacement of an unfamiliar form by a more famili ...

, this is usually taken to mean four of the province's major rivers: the Jialing, Jinsha (or Wu), Min, and Tuo. According to

historical geographer Historical geography is the branch of geography that studies the ways in which geographic phenomena have changed over time. It is a synthesizing discipline which shares both topical and methodological similarities with history, anthropology, eco ...

Tan Qixiang, "four rivers" is an erroneous interpretation of the place's name. The name of the province is a contraction of the phrases ''Sì Chuānlù'' "Four Plain Circuits") and ''Chuānxiá Sìlù'' "Four Circuits of Chuanxia"),''Si'' (四) means "four", ''Chuan'' (川) means "plain", and ''Xia'' ("峡") could be understood as "gorge". ''Sì Chuānlù'' and ''Chuānxiá Sìlù'' are general names for the Four Circuits,. referring to the division of the existing

imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Texa ...

administrative circuit in the area into four during the Northern Song dynasty, which was Yizhou, Lizhou, Zizhou, and

Kuizhou Kui Prefecture, Kuizhou Circuit, or Kuizhou () was initially established in 619 CE, as a renaming of the existing Xin Prefecture. Kuizhou was an important area from the beginning and through the end of the Tang dynasty of China, when it was alter ...

. The word ''chuan'' () here means " plain", not its normal meaning of "river" as popularly assumed. In addition to its postal map and Wade-Giles forms, the name has also been irregularly romanized as Szű-chuan and Szechuan. In antiquity, the area of modern Sichuan including the now separated Chongqing Municipality was known to the

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

as , in reference to the ancient states of Ba and Shu that once occupied the Sichuan Basin. Shu continued to be used to refer to the Sichuan region all through its history right up to the present day; several states formed in the area used the same name, for example, the Shu of the Three Kingdoms period, and Former Shu and Later Shu of the Ten Kingdoms period. Currently, both the characters for ''Shu'' and ''Chuan'' are commonly used as abbreviations for Sichuan.

History

Prehistory

The Sichuan Basin and adjacent areas of the Yangtze watershed were a cradle of indigenous civilizations dating back to at least the 15th century BC, coinciding with the

Shang The Shang dynasty (), also known as the Yin dynasty (), was a Chinese royal dynasty founded by Tang of Shang (Cheng Tang) that ruled in the Yellow River valley in the second millennium BC, traditionally succeeding the Xia dynasty and f ...

in northern China. The region had its own distinct religious beliefs and worldview. The earliest culture found in the region through archaeological investigation is the

Baodun culture The Baodun culture (2700 BC – 1700 BC) was a Neolithic culture centered on the Chengdu Plain in Sichuan, China. Dates Archaeologists have divided the culture into four phases (I-IV). The only radiocarbon dates for the Baodun Culture come from B ...

(2700–1750 BC) excavated in the Chengdu Plain.

Ba and Shu Kingdoms

The most important native states were those of Ba and Shu. Ba stretched into Sichuan from the Han Valley in Shaanxi and Hubei down the Jialing River as far as its confluence with the Yangtze at

. Shu occupied the valley of the Min, including

and other areas of western Sichuan. The existence of the early state of Shu was poorly recorded in the main historical records of China. It was, however, referred to in the ''

Book of Documents The ''Book of Documents'' (''Shūjīng'', earlier ''Shu King'') or ''Classic of History'', also known as the ''Shangshu'' (“Venerated Documents”), is one of the Five Classics of ancient Chinese literature. It is a collection of rhetorica ...

'' as an ally of the Zhou. Accounts of Shu exist mainly as a mixture of mythological stories and historical legends recorded in local annals such as the '' Chronicles of Huayang'' compiled in the Jin dynasty (266–420), and the Han dynasty compilation ''Shuwang benji'' (). These contained folk stories such as that of Emperor Duyu () who taught the people agriculture and transformed himself into a cuckoo after his death. The existence of a highly developed civilization with an independent bronze industry in Sichuan eventually came to light with an archaeological discovery in 1986 at a small village named Sanxingdui in Guanghan, Sichuan. This site, believed to be an ancient city of Shu, was initially discovered by a local farmer in 1929 who found jade and stone artefacts. Excavations by archaeologists in the area yielded few significant finds until 1986 when two major sacrificial pits were found with spectacular bronze items as well as artefacts in jade, gold, earthenware, and stone. 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.

Qin dynasty

The rulers of the expansionist state of

, based in present-day

and Shaanxi, were the first strategists to realize that the area's military importance matched its commercial and agricultural significance. The Sichuan basin is surrounded by the Hengduan Mountains to the west, the Qin Mountains to the north, and Yungui 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. 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 the Dujiangyan irrigation system to control the Min River, a major tributary 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.

Han dynasty

Sichuan was subjected to the autonomous control of kings named by the imperial family of the Han dynasty. Following the declining central government of the Han 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. Warlords in 194

Three Kingdoms

In 221, during the partition following the fall of the Eastern Han – the era of the Three Kingdoms – Liu Bei founded the southwest kingdom of

Shu Han Han (; 221–263), known in historiography as Shu Han ( ) or Ji Han ( "Junior Han"), or often shortened to Shu (; pinyin: ''shŭ'' <

as its capital. Shu-Han claimed to be the successor to the Han dynasty. In 263, the Cao Wei of North China

conquered Conquest is the act of military subjugation of an enemy by force of arms. Military history provides many examples of conquest: the Roman conquest of Britain, the Mauryan conquest of Afghanistan and of vast areas of the Indian subcontinent, t ...

the Kingdom of Shu-Han as a step on the path to reuniting China. Salt production becomes a major business in

Ziliujing District Ziliujing District, formerly romanized as Tzuliutsing, is a district of Zigong in Sichuan Province, China. The district covers and had a population of 330,000 people in 2005. History According to Fang, China has always managed salt and iron, w ...

. During the Six Dynasties period of Chinese disunity, Sichuan began to be populated by non-

Han Han may refer to: Ethnic groups * Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group. ** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese p ...

ethnic minority peoples, owing to the migration of

Gelao people The Gelao people (also spelled Gelo) ( Gelao: ''Klau'', ) are an ethnic group of China and Vietnam. They form one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China. However, many Gelao are also variously classified a ...

from the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau to the Sichuan basin.

Tang dynasty

Sichuan came under the firm control of a Chinese central government during the

Sui dynasty The Sui dynasty (, ) was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China that lasted from 581 to 618. The Sui unified the Northern and Southern dynasties, thus ending the long period of division following the fall of the Western Jin dynasty, and layi ...

, but it was during the subsequent Tang 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 of

Du Fu Du Fu (; 712–770) was a Tang dynasty poet and politician. Along with his elder contemporary and friend Li Bai (Li Po), he is frequently called the greatest of the Chinese poets.Ebrey, 103. His greatest ambition was to serve his country as ...

, who is sometimes called China's greatest poet. During the An Lushan Rebellion (755–763),

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (; 8 September 685 – 3 May 762), personal name Li Longji, was the seventh emperor of the Tang dynasty in China, reigning from 712 to 756 CE. His reign of 44 years was the longest during the Tang dynasty. In the early ...

fled from Chang'an to Sichuan which became his refuge. The region was torn by constant warfare and economic distress as it was besieged by the Tibetan Empire.

Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

In the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, Sichuan became the centre of the Shu kingdom with its capital in

founded by Wang Jian. In 925 the kingdom was absorbed into Later Tang but would regain independence under Meng Zhixiang who founded Later Shu in 934. Later Shu would continue until 965 when it was absorbed by the Song.

Song dynasty

During the Song dynasty (960–1279),

Sichuanese Sichuanese, Szechuanese or Szechwanese may refer to something of, from, or related to the Chinese province and region of Sichuan (Szechwan/Szechuan) (historically and culturally including Chongqing), especially: *Sichuanese people, a subgroup of the ...

was able to protect themselves from

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 poets Su Xun (), Su Shi, and Su Zhe. Although paper currency was known in the Tang dynasty, in 1023 AD, the first true paper money in human history, termed ''jiaozi'' (), was issued in

. It was also during the Song dynasty that the bulk of the native

Ba people Ba () was an ancient state in eastern Sichuan, China. Its original capital was Yicheng (Enshi City), Hubei. Ba was conquered by Qin in 316 BC. The historical Bo people and the modern Tujia people trace some of their origins back to the people of ...

of eastern Sichuan assimilated into the Han Chinese ethnicity. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the Southern Song dynasty established coordinated defenses against the Mongolian Yuan dynasty, in Sichuan and Xiangyang. The Southern Song state monopolized the Sichuan tea industry to pay for warhorses, but this state intervention eventually brought devastation to the local economy. The line of defense was finally broken through after the first use of

firearm A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions). The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes ...

s in history during the six-year

Battle of Xiangyang The Battle of Xiangyang () was a protracted series of battles between the Yuan dynasty and the Southern Song dynasty from 1267 to 1273. The battle was a significant victory for the Yuan dynasty and ended a 30-year defensive campaign waged by th ...

, 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. The recorded number of families in Sichuan dropped from 2,640,000 families, as recorded from the census taken in 1162 AD, to 120,000 families in 1282 AD. Possible causes include forced population transfer to nearby areas, evacuation to nearby provinces, census under-reporting or inaccuracy, and war-related deaths. 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.

Ming dynasty

The Ming dynasty defeated

Ming Yuzhen Ming Yuzhen (; 2 October 1328 – 17 March 1366) was a peasant rebel leader who established the dynasty of Ming Xia during the late Yuan dynasty in China. Ming was born in Suizhou (today Sui County, Hubei) in a farmer family. He changed the ch ...

's Xia polity which ruled Sichuan. During the Ming 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 the

Zhengtong Emperor Emperor Yingzong of Ming (; 29 November 1427 – 23 February 1464), personal name Zhu Qizhen (), was the sixth and eighth Emperor of the Ming dynasty. He ascended the throne as the Zhengtong Emperor () in 1435, but was forced to abdicate in 1 ...

's reign (1427–64). Dabei Hall enshrines a thousand-armed wooden image of Guanyin and Huayan Hall is a repository with a revolving

sutra ''Sutra'' ( sa, सूत्र, translit=sūtra, translit-std=IAST, translation=string, thread)Monier Williams, ''Sanskrit English Dictionary'', Oxford University Press, Entry fo''sutra'' page 1241 in Indian literary traditions refers to an aph ...

cabinet. The wall paintings, sculptures, and other ornamental details are masterpieces of the Ming period. In the middle of the 17th century, the peasant rebel leader Zhang Xianzhong (1606–1646) from Yan'an, Shaanxi Province, nicknamed ''Yellow 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 (). In response to the resistance from local elites, he massacred a large number of people in Sichuan. As a result of the massacre as well as years of turmoil during the Ming-Qing transition, the population of Sichuan fell sharply, requiring massive resettlement of people from the neighboring Huguang Province (modern Hubei and Hunan) and other provinces during the Qing dynasty.

Qing dynasty

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. Deng Xiaoping was born in Sichuan. During the Qing dynasty, Sichuan was merged with Shaanxi and

Shanxi Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-lev ...

to create "Shenzhuan" during 1680–1731 and 1735–1748. The current borders of Sichuan (which then included

) were established in the early 18th century. In the aftermath of the Sino-Nepalese War on China's southwestern border, the Qing gave Sichuan's provincial government direct control over the minority-inhabited areas of Sichuan west of Kangding, which had previously been handled by an

amban Amban (Manchu language, Manchu and Mongolian language, Mongol: ''Amban'', Standard Tibetan, Tibetan: ་''am ben'', , Uyghur language, Uighur:''am ben'') is a Manchu language term meaning "high official", corresponding to a number of different ...

. A landslide dam on the Dadu River caused by an earthquake gave way on 10 June 1786. The resulting flood killed 100,000 people.

Republic of China

In the early 20th century, the newly founded

established the Chuanbian Special Administrative District () on the province's territories to the west of the Sichuan Basin. The Special District later became the province of Xikang, incorporating the areas inhabited by Yi,

, and Qiang ethnic minorities to its west, and eastern part of today's Tibet Autonomous Region. In the 20th century, as Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, and Wuhan had all been occupied by the Japanese during the Second Sino-Japanese War, the capital of the Republic of China had been temporarily relocated to

, then a major city in Sichuan. An enduring legacy of this move is those nearby inland provinces, such as Shaanxi,

, and Guizhou, which previously never had modern Western-style universities, began to be developed in this regard. The difficulty of accessing the region overland from the eastern part of China and the foggy climate hindering the accuracy of the Japanese bombing of the Sichuan Basin made the region the stronghold of

Chiang Kai-shek Chiang Kai-shek (31 October 1887 – 5 April 1975), also known as Chiang Chung-cheng and Jiang Jieshi, was a Chinese Nationalist politician, revolutionary, and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 ...

's Kuomintang government during 1938–45 and led to the Bombing of Chongqing. The Second Sino-Japanese War was soon followed by the resumed Chinese 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 the Long March. Chiang Kai-shek himself flew to Chongqing from Taiwan in November 1949 to lead the defense. But the same month Chongqing switched to the Communists, followed by Chengdu on 10 December. The Kuomintang general Wang 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, via Burma.

People's Republic of China

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 former Xikang province was split between Tibet in the west and Sichuan in the east. The province was deeply affected by the

of 1959–1961, during which period some 9.4 million people (13.07% of the population at the time) died. In 1978, when Deng 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, hitting the 100 million mark shortly after the 1982 census figure of 99,730,000. This changed in 1997 when the

Sub-provincial city A sub-provincial division () in China is a prefecture-level city governed by a province promoted by half a level. Thus, it is half a level under the provincial level (hence the name sub-provincial) but half a level above the prefecture-level. T ...

of Chongqing as well as the three surrounding prefectures of Fuling,

Wanxian Wanzhou District () is Chongqing's second most populated urban core area on the upper reaches of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River in China. It is currently governed as a district of Chongqing Municipality, bordering Sichuan to the northwest ...

, and Qianjiang were split off into the new Chongqing 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 the Three Gorges Dam project. In 1997 when Sichuan split, the sum of the two parts was recorded to be 114,720,000 people. As of 2010, Sichuan ranks as both the 3rd largest (the largest among Chinese provinces with a population greater than 50 million) and 4th most populous province in China. In May 2008, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.9/8.0 hit just northwest of the provincial capital of Chengdu. Official figures recorded a death toll of nearly 70,000 people, and millions of people were left homeless., and

Administrative divisions

Sichuan consists of twenty-one prefecture-level divisions: eighteen prefecture-level cities (including a

sub-provincial city A sub-provincial division () in China is a prefecture-level city governed by a province promoted by half a level. Thus, it is half a level under the provincial level (hence the name sub-provincial) but half a level above the prefecture-level. T ...

) and three

autonomous prefecture Autonomous prefectures () are one type of autonomous administrative divisions of China, existing at the prefectural level, with either ethnic minorities forming over 50% of the population or being the historic home of significant minorities. A ...

s: The twenty prefectures of Sichuan are subdivided into 183 county-level divisions (53 districts, 17 county-level cities, 109 counties, and 4

autonomous counties Autonomous counties () and autonomous banners () are county-level autonomous administrative divisions of China. The two are essentially identical except in name. There are 117 autonomous counties and three autonomous banners. The latter are fo ...

). At the end of the year 2017, the total population is 83.02 million.

Urban areas

Geography and biodiversity

Sichuan consists of two geographically very distinct parts. The eastern part of the province is mostly within the fertile Sichuan basin (which is shared by Sichuan with Chongqing Municipality). The western Sichuan consists of numerous mountain ranges forming the easternmost part of the Tibetan Plateau, which are known generically as the Hengduan Mountains. One of these ranges, the Daxue Mountains, contains the highest point of the province

Gongga Shan Mount Gongga (), also known as Minya Konka (Khams Tibetan pinyin: ''Mi'nyâg Gong'ga Riwo'') and colloquially as "The King of Sichuan Mountains", is the highest mountain in Sichuan province, China. It has an elevation of above sea level. This m ...

, at above sea level. The mountains are formed by the collision of the Tibetan Plateau with the Yangtze Plate. Faults here include the Longmenshan Fault which ruptured during the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. Other mountain ranges surround the Sichuan Basin from north, east, and south. Among them are the Daba Mountains, in the province's northeast. The Yangtze 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 as

, Wuhan, Nanjing, and Shanghai. One of the major tributaries of the Yangtze within the province is the Min River of central Sichuan, which joins the Yangtze at Yibin. There are also a number of other rivers, such as the Jialing River,

Tuo River The Tuo River (; pinyin: Tuó Jiāng) is -long river in Sichuan province of southern China. The Tuo River is one of the major tributaries of the upper Yangtze River (''Chang Jiang''). Geography The river originates at the northwest edge of Sich ...

, Yalong River, Wu River, and Jinsha 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. Due to great differences in terrain, the climate of the province is highly variable. In general, it has strong monsoonal influences, with rainfall heavily concentrated in the summer. Under the Köppen climate classification, the Sichuan Basin (including

) in the eastern half of the province experiences a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

(Köppen ''Cwa'' or ''Cfa''), 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. However, due to its high altitude and its inland location, many areas such as Garze County and Zoige County in Sichuan exhibit a

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of an ocean, ge ...

( Köppen ''Dwc'')- featuring extremely cold winters down to −30 °C and even cold summer nights. The region is geologically active with landslides and earthquakes. Average elevation ranges from 2,000 to 3,500 meters; average temperatures range from 0 to 15 °C. 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. Sichuan borders Qinghai to the northwest,

to the north, Shaanxi to the northeast,

to the east, Guizhou to the southeast, Yunnan to the south, and the Tibet Autonomous Region to the west. File:Larix potaninii trees Huluhai.jpg, ''

Larix potaninii ''Larix potaninii'' is a species of larch conifer in the family Pinaceae. It is found in China and Nepal. The one of southernmost species of the genus ''Larix'', the range of ''Larix potaninii'' extends southward almost to 27° N. Varieties , ...

'' in autumn colour. File:1 Seda facing south.jpg,

Garzê Prefecture Garzê may refer to: *Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, in Sichuan, China *Garzê Town, the main town in the prefecture *Garzê County Garzê County or Ganzi County (; ) is one of the 18 subdivisions of the Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefectu ...

File:Zitong-sichuan-china.jpg, Zitong County File:A Typical Linpan unit in Pi County.jpg,

Linpan in Chengdu Plain The Linpan in Chengdu Plain, also known as Linpan settlements, (simplified Chinese: 林盘; traditional Chinese: 林盤; pinyin: ''línpán,'' literally: ''surrounded by woods)'' are traditional rural communities in the Chengdu Plain, Sichuan, Ch ...

is a well-known landmark in Chengdu Plain, Sichuan.

Giant panda

Giant panda The giant panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca''), also known as the panda bear (or simply the panda), is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its bold black-and-white coat and rotund body. The name "giant panda" is sometimes us ...

s live in bamboo forests and low mountainous areas such as the Minshan Mountains in Sichuan. The majority of the panda population lives in Sichuan, with their range spreading into Shaanxi and

. 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 national symbol of China.

Politics

The politics of Sichuan is structured in a dual party-government system like all other governing institutions in mainland China. The governor 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 the Sichuan Communist Party of China's Party Committee Secretary, colloquially termed the "Sichuan CPC Party Chief".

Economy

Sichuan is the 6th-largest provincial economy of China, the largest in Western China and the second largest among inland provinces after Henan. As of 2021, its nominal GDP was 5,385 billion yuan (US$847.68 billion), ahead of the GDP of Turkey of 815 billion. Compared to a country, it would be the 18th-largest economy as well as the 19th most populous as of 2021. As of 2021, its nominal GDP per capita was 64,357 RMB (US$10,120). In 2021, the per capita net income of rural residents was 17,575 yuan (US$2760). The per capita disposable 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. Sichuan also possesses China's largest proven natural gas reserves, the majority of which are transported to more developed eastern regions. Sichuan is one of the major industrial centers of China. 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.

and Mianyang are the production centers for textiles and electronics products. Deyang,

Panzhihua Panzhihua (), formerly Dukou (), is a prefecture-level city located in the far south of Sichuan province, People's Republic of China, at the confluence of the Jinsha and Yalong Rivers. It has an administrative area of , and a population at the 2 ...

, and Yibin 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 Nanchong (; Sichuanese: lan2cong1) is a prefecture-level city in the northeast of Sichuan province, China, with an area of . At the 2020 census it was home to 5,607,565 people, of whom 1,936,534 lived in the built-up (or 'metro') area made of th ...

, and

Luzhou Luzhou (; Sichuanese Pinyin: Nu2zou1; Luzhou dialect: ), formerly transliterated as Lu-chou or Luchow, is a prefecture-level city located in the southeast of Sichuan Province, China. The city, named Jiangyang until the Southern and Northern Dyna ...

. Other important industries in Sichuan include aerospace and defense (military) industries. A number of China's rockets ( Long March rockets) and satellites were launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, located in the city of Xichang. Sichuan's landscapes and rich historical relics have also made the province a center for tourism. The Three Gorges Dam, the largest dam ever constructed, was built on the Yangtze River in nearby Hubei province to control flooding in the Sichuan Basin, neighboring Yunnan 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 others have criticised it for its potentially harmful effects, such as massive resettlement of residents in the reservoir areas, loss of archeological sites, and ecological damages.

Minimum wage

Starting in 2021, the minimum wage in Sichuan Province will be 2,100 yuan ($330).

Economic development zones

Chengdu Hi-tech Comprehensive Free Trade Zone

Chengdu Hi-tech Comprehensive Free Trade Zone was established with the approval of the

State Council State Council may refer to: Government * State Council of the Republic of Korea, the national cabinet of South Korea, headed by the President * State Council of the People's Republic of China, the national cabinet and chief administrative auth ...

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 () was approved as state-level development zone in February 2000. The zone now has a developed area of and a planned area of . Chengdu Economic and Technological Development Zone (CETDZ) lies 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.

Chengdu Export Processing Zone

Chengdu Export Processing Zone ()) 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 , located inside the west region of the Chengdu Hi-tech Zone.

Chengdu Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone

Established in 1988, Chengdu Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone () was approved as one of the first national hi-tech development zones in 1991. In 2000, it was open to APEC 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 , 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.

Mianyang Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone

Mianyang Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone was established in 1992, with a planned area of . The zone is situated 96 kilometers away from Chengdu and is 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.

Transportation

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 bridges across the Yangtze and its tributaries to the south and west have brought greater connectivity with Yunnan and Tibet.

Airports

Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport is the 4th-busiest airport in mainland China. It was among the world's top 30 busiest airports in 2015, and the busiest in western and central China. It was also the fifth-busiest airport in terms of cargo traffic in China in 2013. Chengdu airport is the hub of Sichuan Airlines, Chengdu Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Tibet Airlines, China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Lucky Air, and

Air China Air China Limited () is the flag carrier of the People's Republic of China and one of the "Big Three" mainland Chinese airlines (alongside China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines). Air China's headquarters are in Shunyi District, ...

. Alongside Shuangliu Airport, Chengdu Tianfu International Airport has opened in 2021. Chengdu airports are also 144-hour transit visa-free airports for foreigners from 51 countries including Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Mexico, Republic of Montenegro, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and United States.

Expressways

On 3 November 2007, the Sichuan Transportation Bureau announced that the Suining-Chongqing Expressway was completed after three years of construction. After the completion of the Chongqing section of the road, the expressway connected Chengdu-Nanchong Expressway and formed the shortest expressway from

. The new expressway is 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 . The total investment was 1.045 billion yuan.

Rail

China Railway Chengdu Group China Railway Chengdu Group, officially abbreviated as CR Chengdu or CR-Chengdu, formerly, Chengdu Railway Administration is a subsidiaries company under the jurisdiction of the China Railway (formerly the Ministry of Railway). It is in charge o ...

is headquartered in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, managing railway systems in Sichuan, Chongqing, and Guizhou. Sichuan's major railways in Sichuan include the Baoji–Chengdu, Chengdu–Chongqing, Chengdu–Kunming, Neijiang–Kunming, Suining–Chongqing, and Chengdu–Dazhou railways.

High-speed rail High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail system that runs significantly faster than traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated tracks. While there is no single standard that applies worldwide, lines ...

ways in Sichuan include the Chengdu–Chongqing high-speed railway, Xi'an-Chengdu high-speed railway, Chengdu-Guiyang high-speed railway, and Chengdu–Kunming high-speed railway. A suburban railway connects Chengdu and Dujiangyan.

Demographics

The majority of the province's population is Han Chinese (95% of the provincial population), who are found scattered throughout the region except for the far western areas. Thus, significant minorities of

, Yi, Qiang, and

Nakhi people The Nakhi or Nashi (; Naxi: ; lit.: "Black people") are an East Asian ethnic group inhabiting the foothills of the Himalayas in the northwestern part of Yunnan Province, as well as the southwestern part of Sichuan Province in China. The Nakh ...

reside in the western portion that is impacted by inclement weather and natural disasters, environmentally fragile, and impoverished. Sichuan's capital of

is home to a large community of Tibetans, with 30,000 permanent Tibetan residents and up to 200,000 Tibetan

floating population Floating population is a terminology used to describe a group of people who reside in a given population for a certain amount of time and for various reasons, but are not generally considered part of the official census count. A population is usual ...

. The Eastern Lipo, included with either the Yi or the

Lisu people The Lisu people (Lisu: ; my, လီဆူလူမျိုး, ; ; th, ลีสู่) are a Tibeto-Burman ethnic group who inhabit mountainous regions of Myanmar (Burma), southwest China, Thailand, and the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh ...

, as well as the

A-Hmao A-Hmao (''Big Flowery Miao'') are an Hmongic ethnic group in China. They are from Yunnan and Sichuan and also live in Guizhou. The number of persons within this group likely exceeds 400,000. They are speakers of the A-Hmao language The A-Hmao la ...

, also are among the ethnic groups of the provinces. Sichuan was China's most populous province before

became a directly controlled municipality; it is currently the fourth most populous, after Guangdong, Shandong, and Henan. As of 1832, Sichuan was the most populous of the 18 provinces in China, with an estimated population at that time of 21 million. It was the third most populous sub-national entity in the world, after Uttar Pradesh, India, and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic until 1991, when the Soviet Union was dissolved. It is also one of the only eight subnational divisions to ever reach 100 million people (Uttar Pradesh, Russian RSFSR,

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

, Sichuan, Bihar,

Shandong Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizati ...

, Guangdong, and Punjab). It is currently ranked 10th.

Religion

The predominant religions in Sichuan are Chinese folk religions, Taoist traditions, and Chinese Buddhism. According to surveys conducted in 2007 and 2009, 10.6% of the population believes and is involved in cults of ancestors, while 0.68% of the population identifies as

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

. According to the Japanese publication ''Tokyo Sentaku'' in 1999, there were 2 million members of Yiguandao (Tiandao) in Sichuan, equal to 2.4% of the province's population. The reports didn't give figures for other types of religion; the vast majority of the population may be either irreligious or involved in the worship of nature deities, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, folk religious sects, and small minorities of Muslims. Tibetan Buddhism is widespread, especially in areas inhabited by ethnic Tibetans. Sichuan is one of the cradles of the early Heavenly Masters' Taoist religious movements. File:Huanglong Sichuan China Multicolored-ponds-04.jpg, View of the Temple of the Yellow Dragon (Chinese Buddhism) in Huanglong. File:Litang8.jpg, Statues of buddhas at Litang Monastery of the Tibetan tradition. File:Main altar before Shangqing Temple on Qingchengshan, in Chengdu, Sichuan.jpg, A pavilion of the Shangqing Temple (Taoist) in Qingchengshan,

. File:China - Mount Emei - EmeiShan - Sichuan 11.jpg, Golden Temple of Mount Emei (Chinese Buddhism). File:巴巴寺.JPG, , a

Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...

mosque in Langzhong. File:Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Chengdu.png, Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Chengdu ( Roman Catholic) File:St John's Cathedral, Paoning.jpg,

St John's Cathedral, Langzhong St John's Cathedral ( zh, t=聖約翰座堂, s=圣约翰座堂, first=t, w=Shêng4-yüeh1-han4 tso4-tʽang2, p=Shèngyuēhàn zuòtáng), today known as Gospel Church ( zh, t=福音堂, s=福音堂, w=Fu2-yin1 tʽang2, p=Fúyīn táng, links=no), ...

(

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

)

Culture

The ''Sichuanese people'' (

: Ba¹su²ren²;

IPA IPA commonly refers to: * India pale ale, a style of beer * International Phonetic Alphabet, a system of phonetic notation * Isopropyl alcohol, a chemical compound IPA may also refer to: Organizations International * Insolvency Practitioners ...

: ; alternatively , , or ) are a subgroup of Han Chinese living in mostly Sichuan province and the neighboring

municipality. Beginning from the 9th century BC, Shu (on the Chengdu Plain) and Ba (which had its first capital at Enshi City in Hubei and controlled part of the Han Valley) emerged as cultural and administrative centers where two rival kingdoms were established. Although eventually, the Qin 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 the Yellow River Valley. The now-extinct Ba-Shu language was derived from Qin-era settlers and represents the earliest documented division from what is now called Middle Chinese. During the Yuan and Ming dynasties, the population of the area was reduced through wars and the

bubonic plague Bubonic plague is one of three types of plague caused by the plague bacterium (''Yersinia pestis''). One to seven days after exposure to the bacteria, flu-like symptoms develop. These symptoms include fever, headaches, and vomiting, as well a ...

, and settlers arrived from the area of modern Hubei, replacing the earlier common Chinese with a new standard. The Li Bai Memorial, located in Jiangyou, is a museum in memory of Li Bai, a Chinese poet of Tang 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.

Languages

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 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. The languages of Sichuan are primarily members of three subfamilies of the Sino-Tibetan languages. The most widely used variety of Chinese spoken in Sichuan is

, which is the

lingua franca A lingua franca (; ; for plurals see ), also known as a bridge language, common language, trade language, auxiliary language, vehicular language, or link language, is a language systematically used to make communication possible between groups ...

in Sichuan,

, and parts of the Tibet Autonomous Region. Although Sichuanese is generally classified as a dialect of Mandarin Chinese, it is highly divergent in phonology, vocabulary, and even grammar from

Standard Chinese Standard Chinese ()—in linguistics Standard Northern Mandarin or Standard Beijing Mandarin, in common speech simply Mandarin, better qualified as Standard Mandarin, Modern Standard Mandarin or Standard Mandarin Chinese—is a modern Standar ...

. The

Minjiang dialect The Minjiang dialect (, ; ) is a branch of Sichuanese, spoken mainly in the Min River (''Mínjiāng'') valley or along the Yangtze in the southern and western parts of the Sichuan Basin in China. There is also a language island of the Minjiang ...

is especially difficult for speakers of other Mandarin dialects to understand. Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture in western Sichuan are populated by Tibetans and Qiang people. Tibetans speak the Khams and Amdo Tibetan, which are Tibetic languages, as well as various Qiangic languages. The Qiang speak Qiangic languages and often Tibetic languages as well. The Yi people of Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture in southern Sichuan speak the

Nuosu language Nuosu or Nosu (, transcribed as ), also known as Northern Yi, Liangshan Yi, and Sichuan Yi, is the prestige language of the Yi people; it has been chosen by the Chinese government as the standard Yi language () and, as such, is the only one taug ...

, which is one of the Lolo-Burmese languages; Yi is written using the Yi script, a

syllabary In the linguistic study of written languages, a syllabary is a set of written symbols that represent the syllables or (more frequently) moras which make up words. A symbol in a syllabary, called a syllabogram, typically represents an (optiona ...

standardized in 1974. The Southwest University for Nationalities has one of China's most prominent Tibetology departments and the Southwest Minorities Publishing House prints literature in minority languages. In the minority-inhabited regions of Sichuan, there is bilingual signage and public school instruction in non-Mandarin minority languages.

Cuisine

Sichuan is well known for its spicy cuisine and use of Sichuan peppers due to its humid climate. The Sichuanese are proud of their cuisine, known as one of the Four Great Traditions of Chinese 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. Sichuan cuisine is popular in the whole nation of China, and so are Sichuan chefs. Two well-known Sichuan chefs are

Chen Kenmin Chen Kenmin ( zh, s=陈建民, t=陳建民, p=Chén Jiànmín; ja, 陳建民, ''Chin Kenmin''; June 27, 1912 – May 12, 1990) was a Chinese-born Japanese chef known as the father of Chen Kenichi, the Iron Chef Chinese on the television ...

and his son

Chen Kenichi , whose name is often romanized Chin Kenichi in Japanese sources, is a chef best known for his role as the Iron Chef Chinese on the television series ''Iron Chef'' (料理の鉄人). Nicknamed The Szechuan Sage, he wears a yellow outfit and ris ...

, who was Iron Chef Chinese on the Japanese television series " Iron Chef". Another famous Sichuan cuisine is hotpot. 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. File:Kung-pao-shanghai.jpg,

, one of the best known dishes of Sichuan cuisine File:Mapodoufu.jpg, Mapo doufu File:担担面 Dandan noodles.jpg, Dandan noodles File:Mixed sauce noodles.JPG, Zha Jiang Noodles ()

Education

Colleges and universities

As of 2022, Sichuan hosts 134 institutions of higher education, ranking first in the Western China region and fifth among all Chinese provinces after Jiangsu, Guangdong, Henan and

. * Sichuan University (

) *

Southwest Jiaotong University Southwest Jiaotong University () is located in national central city Chengdu, Sichuan Province, affiliated to the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China. It's a national key university co-supported by the Ministry of Education o ...

(Chengdu) * University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (Chengdu) * Southwestern University of Finance and Economics (Chengdu) * Chengdu University of Technology (Chengdu) * Chengdu University of Information Technology (Chengdu) *

Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine The Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (CDUTCM; ) is a provincial public medical research university in Chengdu, Sichuan, China. Founded 1956, the university is one of the four earliest traditional Chinese medicine colleges estab ...

(Chengdu) *

Civil Aviation Flight University of China Civil Aviation Flight University of China (abbreviated CAFUC) is the largest civil aviation university in Asia and the world's largest flight training institution. It is under the direct leadership of Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAA ...

( Guanghan) * Southwest University for Nationalities (Chengdu) *

Sichuan Normal University Sichuan Normal University (SICNU; ) is the oldest normal university (teacher's college) located in Chengdu Chengdu (, ; Simplified Chinese characters, simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronu ...

(Chengdu) *

Sichuan Agricultural University Sichuan Agricultural University is a National university, national Public university, public Agriculture, agricultural university in Ya'an, Sichuan with two Satellite campus, satellite campuses in Chengdu, Sichuan, China. Emphasizing on agricultu ...

( Ya'an, Chengdu,

Dujiangyan The Dujiangyan () is an ancient irrigation system in Dujiangyan City, Sichuan, China. Originally constructed around 256 BC by the State of Qin (state), Qin as an irrigation and flood control project, it is still in use today. The system's infrast ...

) * Southwest Petroleum University (

and Chengdu) *

Xihua University Xihua University (西华大学: "XHU（West China University)) is a public comprehensive university located in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China. Approved by the State Ministry of Education, Xihua University (XHU) was founded on April 16, 2003, f ...

(Chengdu) *

Southwest University of Science and Technology The Southwest University of Science and Technology (SWUST; ) is a provincial public university in Mianyang, Sichuan. There are 17 schools in the university. The campus has over 29,000 students: graduate and undergraduate. As of 2015, Xiao Zhengxue ...

( Mianyang) *

China West Normal University China West Normal University (CWNU; ) is a comprehensive normal university featuring teacher education and training in Nanchong, Sichuan, China. The university was established in 1946. It now has 30,343 students. History China West Normal Univer ...

(

) *

North Sichuan Medical College North Sichuan Medical University (), previously North Sichuan Medical College (NSMC), is a provincial medical school with campuses in Shunqing District and Gaoping District, Nanchong city, Sichuan Province, China. North Sichuan Medical Univer ...

(Nanchong) *Panzhihua University (Panzhihua) *Sichuan Police College (

) *

Sichuan University of Science and Engineering The Sichuan University of Science and Engineering (SUSE, ) is a provincial public university in Zigong, Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred t ...

( Zigong and Yibin) *

Chengdu University Chengdu University (CDU; ) is a provincial-municipal public university in Chengdu, Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or ...

(Chengdu) *Xichang University ( Xichang) *Aba Teachers University ( Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture)

Tourism

File:Beauty of Jiuzhaigou National Park - Apr 2017.png, Jiuzhaigou File:Yading - panoramio (1).jpg, Yading File:1 huanglong pools aerial 2011.jpg,

Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area Huanglong () is a scenic and historic interest area in the northwest part of Sichuan, China. It is located in the southern part of the Minshan mountain range, north-northwest of the capital Chengdu. This area is known for its colorful travertine p ...

File:QinChengHouShan WuLongGou.jpg, Waterfalls at

Mount Qincheng Mount Qingcheng () is a sacred Taoist mountain in Dujiangyan City, Dujiangyan, Chengdu, Sichuan, China. It is considered one of the birthplaces of Taoism and one of the most important Taoist religious sites in China. In Taoist mythology, it was ...

File:畢棚溝 Bipenggou Valley 1.jpg, Bipenggou Valley File:四姑娘山景区 Mount Siguniang Scenic Area 45.jpg,

Mount Siguniang Mount Siguniang (; , ''Skubla'') is the highest mountain of Qionglai Mountains in Western China. It is located in the bordering area of Rilong Town, Xiaojin County and Wenchuan County in Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Pro ...

Scenic Area File:大冰瀑布-Q30023595.jpg,

Hailuogou Hailuogou (; ) is a glacier located in Luding County, Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan, China. It is a feature of Hailuogou Glacier Forest Park. The glacier is next to Moxi, Luding County, Moxi and over southwest of Chengdu. It is a ...

Glacier Forest Park File:Dujiang Weir.jpg, Dujiangyan irrigation system File:Mount Emei - Sunrise above the clouds.jpg, alt=, Mount Emei UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Sichuan province and Chongqing municipality include: * Dazu Rock Carvings and

Wulong Karst The Wulong Karst () is a karst landscape located within the borders of Wulong District, Chongqing Municipality, People's Republic of China. It is divided into three areas containing the Three Natural Bridges, the Qingkou Tiankeng (箐口天坑) and ...

(

municipality) *

* Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area * Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area *

and the Dujiangyan Irrigation System *

Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries The Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries () located in southwest Sichuan province of China, is the home to more than 30% of the world's giant pandas and is among the most important sites for the captive breeding of these pandas. It covers 9245 km2 ...

As of July 2013, the world's largest building, the

New Century Global Center New Century Global Center () is a multipurpose building in the Tianfu New Area of Chengdu, Sichuan, China and is the world's largest building in terms of floor area. It is served by Line 1 of the Chengdu Metro. Size The 100 meter (328 feet) tal ...

is located in the city of Chengdu. At high, long, and wide, the Center houses retail outlets, a 14-theater cinema, offices, hotels, the Paradise Island waterpark, an artificial beach, a -long

LED A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor Electronics, device that Light#Light sources, emits light when Electric current, current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy i ...

screen, skating rink, pirate ship, fake Mediterranean village, 24-hour artificial sun, and 15,000-spot parking area.

Notable individuals

Bao Sanniang Bao Sanniang is a possibly fictional character of the Three Kingdoms period of China. She appears primarily in Chinese opera and plays, and is usually portrayed as a brave woman warrior and as the wife of Guan Suo, a possibly fictitious son of ...

(), a possibly fictional woman warrior of the Three Kingdoms period. * Li Bai (701–762), poet of the Tang dynasty * Guifeng Zongmi (; 780–841), Tang dynasty Buddhist scholar-monk, fifth patriarch of the Huayan () school as well as a patriarch of the Heze lineage of Southern Chan *

Ouyang Xiu Ouyang Xiu (; 1007 – 1072 CE), courtesy name Yongshu, also known by his art names Zuiweng () and Liu Yi Jushi (), was a Chinese historian, calligrapher, epigrapher, essayist, poet, and politician of the Song dynasty. He was a renowned writer a ...

(1007–22 September 1072), Confucian historian, essayist, calligrapher, poet, and official bureaucrat of the Song dynasty * Su Xun (), poet and prose-writer of the Song dynasty * Su Shi (8 January 1037 – 24 August 1101), Confucian bureaucrat official, poet, artist, calligrapher, pharmacologist, gastronome, and official bureaucrat of the Song dynasty * Su Zhe (1039–1112), poet and essayist, a Confucian bureaucratic official of the Song dynasty * Ba Jin (25 November 1904 – 17 October 2005), novelist and writer * Deng Xiaoping, Chinese Paramount Leader during the 1980s, his former residence is now a museum. *

(27 June 1912 – 12 May 1990), chef who specialized in

Szechwan cuisine Sichuan cuisine, alternatively romanized as Szechwan cuisine or Szechuan cuisine (, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), is a style of Chinese cuisine originating from Sichuan Province. It has bold flavours, particularly the pungency and spici ...

. Father of well-known Iron Chef,

. *

Li Ching-Yuen Li Ching-Yuen or Li Ching-Yun (), (died May 6, 1933) was a Chinese herbalism, herbalist, martial arts, martial artist and tactical advisor, known for his supposed extreme longevity. His true date of birth has never been determined. Gerontology, ...

(; died 6 May 1933), herbalist,

martial artist Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preserv ...

and tactical advisor, also known for extreme

longevity claim Longevity claims are unsubstantiated cases of asserted human longevity. Those asserting lifespans of 110 years or more are referred to as supercentenarians. Many have either no official verification or are backed only by partial evidence. Cases ...

s *

Che Yongli Che Yongli (born 28 January 1980) is a Chinese actress. She is noted for her roles as A Mei and Mei Ling in the films '' A Singing Fairy'' and '' All For Love'' respectively. Life Early life Che was born and raised in Chengdu, Sichuan, she gra ...

(28 January 1980), actress *

Xu Yiyang Xu or XU may refer to: People and characters * Xu (surname), one of two Chinese surnames ( or /), transliterated as Xu in English * ǃXu, a name for the ǃKung group of Bushmen; may also refer to the ǃKung language or the ǃKung people * ǃXu ( ...

(12 August 1997), singer * Chen Shou, official and writer *

Huang Jiguang Huang Jiguang (; January 18, 1931 – October 19, 1952) was a highly-decorated Chinese soldier during the Korean War. Biography Huang was born in Sichuan Province, his mother is Deng Fangzhi and brother is Huang Jishu. In March 1951, Huang dec ...

, highly decorated soldier during the Korean War *

Zhao Yiman Zhao Yiman (; 1905 – 2 August 1936) was a female Chinese resistance fighter against the Imperial Japanese Army in Northeast China, which was under the occupation of the Japanese puppet state Manchukuo. She was captured in 1935 by Japanese force ...

, resistance fighter * Liu Yonghao, businessman *

GAI Gai or GAI may refer to: People Given name or nickname * GAI (musician) (born 1987), Chinese hip-hop musician * Gai Assulin (born 1991), Israeli footballer * Gai Brodtmann (born 1963), Australian politician * Gai Eaton (1921–2010), Brit ...

, rapper, singer, and songwriter *

Zhang Yong (restaurateur) Zhang Yong () is a Chinese-born Singaporean billionaire business magnate who is the founder of the Haidilao restaurant group, best known for its chain of hot pot restaurants. At the end of 2018, Haidilao Hot Pot had 466 direct-operated stores in ...

, Singapore's richest man in 2019 * Wang Jianlin, business magnate, investor, and philanthropist * Jiang Zhuyun, revolutionary martyr * Zhang Daqian, artists *

Wang Xiaoya Wang Xiaoya (; born 22 January 1968) is a Chinese television host and media personality. She won the Golden Mike Award in 2003. Biography Wang was born in Zhaojue County, Sichuan in January 1968, her father was an editor in ''Liangshan Daily'' ( ...

, television host and media personality * Li Yifeng, actor and singer * Li Yuchun, singer, songwriter, and actress * Tan Weiwei, singer and actress * Tang Chun-i, philosopher and scholar *

Luo Ruiqing Luo Ruiqing (; May 31, 1906 – August 3, 1978), formerly romanized as Lo Jui-ch'ing, was a Chinese army officer and politician, general of the People's Liberation Army. He created the People's Republic of China's security and police appara ...

, army officer and politician *

Zhuo Wenjun Zhuo Wenjun (; fl. 2nd century BC) was a Chinese poet of the Western Han dynasty. As a young widow, she eloped with the poet Sima Xiangru. The poem ''Baitou Yin'' (白頭吟, White-Haired Lament) which complains at the inconstancy of male love ...

, poet * Yang Xiong, poet, philosopher, and politician * Zheng Ji, nutritionist, and pioneering biochemist * Zhu De, general, warlord, politician, and revolutionary * Zhang Lan, political activist * Zou Rong, revolutionary martyr * Guo Moruo, author, poet, historian, archaeologist, and government official *

Zhang Qun Zhang Qun or Chang Ch'ün (; May 9, 1889 – December 14, 1990) also known as Zhang Yuejun (張岳軍), was premier of the Republic of China and a prominent member of the Kuomintang. He served as secretary general to the President of the Republ ...

, premier of the Republic of China * Bai Ling, actress *

Xu Youyu Xu Youyu (, born 1947 in Chengdu) is a Chinese scholar in philosophy, a public intellectual, and a proponent of Chinese liberalism. Biography Xu was a teenage Red Guard at the time of the Cultural Revolution, He was a researcher at the Chine ...

, scholar * Cheung Chung-kiu, business magnate *

Song Yonghua Song Yonghua FREng (; born 1964) is a Chinese electrical engineer. He has been rector of the University of Macau since January 2018, and previously served as Executive Vice President at Zhejiang University. Education Song was educated at Chen ...

, scholar * Sanyu (painter) * Zhang Aiping, from Tongchuan District, Dazhou City, Vice Premier, State Councilor, and Minister of Defense * Zhang Liangying, singer and songwriter *

Akio Hong James "Akio" Xiang ( zh, 項明生) (born 12 Sep 1969) is a travel writer, broadcaster, TV host and columnist from Hong Kong. Education Hong was born in Chengdu, Sichuan, China. He moved to Hong Kong when he was 15 years old with his family. ...

, broadcaster

Sports

Professional sports teams in Sichuan include: * Chinese Basketball Association **

Sichuan Blue Whales The Sichuan Jinqiang Blue Whales (sometimes spelled Whale) (四川金强蓝鲸), also known as Sichuan Jinqiang or Sichuan Jinrong Industry, are a professional basketball team based in Wenjiang District, Chengdu, Sichuan, China, which plays in th ...

* China League Two **

Sichuan Jiuniu F.C. Sichuan Jiuniu Football Club (Simplified Chinese: 四川九牛足球俱乐部) is a professional Chinese football club that currently participates in the China League One division under licence from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The te ...

Chinese Volleyball League Chinese Volleyball Super League, often abbreviated to CVL (abbreviation remain unchanged), are the pre-eminent men's and women's professional volleyball leagues in China. It was founded in 1996 as the Chinese Volleyball League and is organized by ...

Sichuan Volleyball Team Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...

* China Table Tennis Super League ** Sichuan Quan-Xing Table-Tennis Team

Sister states and regions

* Washington, United States (1982) * Michigan, United States (1982) *

Hiroshima Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Hiroshima Prefecture has a population of 2,811,410 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 8,479 km² (3,274 sq mi). Hiroshima Prefecture borders Okayama ...

, Japan (1984) * Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan (1985) *

South P'yŏngan South Pyongan Province (Phyŏngannamdo; ) is a province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the southern half of the former Pyongan Province, remained a province of Korea until 1945, then became a province of North Korea. Its ca ...

, North Korea (1985) * Midi-Pyrénées, France (1987) * North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany (1988) *

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...

, United Kingdom (1988) * Piedmont, Italy (1990) * Pernambuco, Brazil (1992) *

Tolna County Tolna ( hu, Tolna megye, ; german: Komitat Tolnau) is an administrative county (Comitatus (Kingdom of Hungary), comitatus or megye) in present Hungary as it was of the former Kingdom of Hungary. It lies in central Hungary, on the west bank of the ...

, Hungary (1993) * Valencian Community, Spain (1994) * Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium (1995) *

Barinas State Barinas may refer to: Places ;Spain * Barinas (Spain) ;Venezuela * Barinas (state), one of the 23 states which make up the country * Barinas, Barinas, a city in the state of Barinas ** Roman Catholic Diocese of Barinas * Barinas Municipality, a ' ...

, Venezuela (2001) * Friesland, Netherlands (2001) * Almaty Province, Kazakhstan (2001) *

Mpumalanga Mpumalanga () is a province of South Africa. The name means "East", or literally "The Place Where the Sun Rises" in the Swazi, Xhosa, Ndebele and Zulu languages. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, bordering Eswatini and Mozambique. It ...

, South Africa (2002) *

Suphan Buri Suphan Buri () is a town (''thesaban mueang'') in central Thailand. It covers ''tambon'' Tha Philiang and parts of ''tambons'' Rua Yai and Tha Rahat, all within the Mueang Suphan Buri District. As of 2006 it had a population of 26,656. The town ...

, Thailand (2010) * Victoria, Australia (2015) *

Lavalleja Lavalleja () is a department of Uruguay. Its capital is Minas. It is located in the southeast of the country, bordered to the north by the department of Treinta y Tres to the east with Rocha, to the south with Canelones and Maldonado, and to ...

, Uruguay (2020)

Notes

References

External links

*
Economic profile for Sichuan
at

HKTDC The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body established in 1966 as the international marketing dedicated to creating opportunities for Hong Kong's businesses. The organisation has 50 offices around the world, includin ...

Ancient silver coins of Sichuan
* {{Authority control Provinces of the People's Republic of China Western China

Names

History

Prehistory

Ba and Shu Kingdoms

Qin dynasty

Han dynasty

Three Kingdoms

Tang dynasty

Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Song dynasty

Ming dynasty

Qing dynasty

Republic of China

People's Republic of China

Administrative divisions

Urban areas

Geography and biodiversity

Giant panda

Politics

Economy

Minimum wage

Economic development zones

Chengdu Hi-tech Comprehensive Free Trade Zone

Chengdu Economic and Technological Development Zone

Chengdu Export Processing Zone

Chengdu Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone

Mianyang Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone

Transportation

Airports

Expressways

Rail

Demographics

Religion

Culture

Languages

Cuisine

Education

Colleges and universities

Tourism

Notable individuals

Sports

Sister states and regions

See also

Notes

References

External links