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Wolong National Nature Reserve
The most famous of all the Giant Panda research centers and sanctuaries, Wolong was established in 1963 and is the oldest park dedicated to the protection of the Giant Panda. In 1980 Wolong was designated a UNESCO site and over the years has also received considerable donations from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). |
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Bifengxia Base
Bifengxia Base sits a mere 8 km from Ya'an city and 150 km from Chengdu. Officially opened in 2003, Bifengxia was created to reintroduce Giant Pandas into the wild and expand conservation efforts. Bifengxia's location was picked for historical reasons. Giant Pandas were first introduced to the western world, when a Frenchman got one and took it back to the West. That place was Ya’an. The Giant Panda that the Frenchman took died shortly after it was taken to back to Europe, but not before the Giant Panda sparked the interest of the entire Western world. |
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Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding
The Chengdu Research Base is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1987 and is dedicated to wildlife research, captive breeding, and conservation education. Unlike many of the other Giant Panda facilities, the Chengdu Base is located just 6 miles from Chengdu's city center. Currently the Chengdu Base covers about 260 acres, but is currently under expansion and will eventually cover about 495 acres. |
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Mount Emei
Mount Emei is located southwest of Chengdu and has the reputation of being one of Sichuan's most popular tourist attractions for its breathtaking views, fantastic natural scenery, |
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Qingcheng Mountain
Qingcheng Mountain lies 25km west of Dujiangyan and is relatively low at only 1600 meters making it a much easier climb then Mount Emei. As one of the five mountains in Taoism that is believed to hold up the sky, Qingcheng Mountain has become an important center for Taoist followers and has temples scattered all over the mountain. One of the temples near the bottom of the mountain that is well preserved is called Jianfu Temple and dates back to the Tang Dynasty, making the temple over a thousand years old. |
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Dujiangyan
Dujiangyan is a small village just northwest of Chengdu and is the home of the famed Dujiangyan Irrigation System and a plethora of Taoist sites. Today Dujiangyan is mostly a tourist attraction for tourists to come visit this amazing irrigation system that has survived the centuries. |
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Jiuzhaigou
One of the most stunningly beautiful destinations in Sichuan is Jiuzhaigou (also known as The Valley of the Nine Villages), covering roughly 720 sq km it has a plethora of stunning vistas including: multi-colored lakes, roaring waterfalls, vibrant forests and in winter snow covered peaks; it is arguably a must see destination on any trip to Sichuan or even China. Before the 1970’s |
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Leshan Dafo
Leshan Dafo, also known as the Leshan Giant Buddha, is one of the world's largest stone statues of the Buddha. It is carved into the cliff face and is 71 meters tall. The statue was conceived by a monk named Hai Tong and was placed at the intersection of three raging rivers: the Min River, the Qingyi River, and the Dadu River. Construction of the statue started in 713AD and took approximately 90 years to complete. The Leshan Giant Buddha was built to protect the boaters who were on these three treacherous rivers. |
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