Memories of a Land of Abundance

Yuan Tingdong

After graduating with a Master’s degree in History from Sichuan University， he worked for the Sichuan People’s Publishing House in 1968. He then participated in establishing the Bashu Publishing House in 1983 and became a freelancer after 1993.

Memories of a Land of Abundance

Written by Yuan Tingdong

Translated by Zhu Hua， Zhang Nan

Sichuan Literature amp; Art Publishing House

January 2023

78.00 （CNY）

This easy-to-follow book introduces the history of Chengdu spanning more than 3，000 years. Fully demonstrating the rich historical and cultural charm of Chengdu， it facilitates Chinese and foreign readers to gain a deeper and more thorough understanding of Bashu culture. With the ancient Shu culture as the background， it tells the 3，000-year-old cultural context of the land of plenty， excavates the deep cultural heritage of Chengdu within the framework of Chinese culture， and at the same time explores the thought that “ Chengdu is a city one wishes not to leave after coming. ”

The 30th parallel north is regarded by many scholars as a peculiar region as it harbors a collection of world wonders and unexplained mysteries， such as the Egyptian pyramids， the Sahara Desert， the Isthmus of Suez， the Himalayas， the Three Gorges， the Yangtze River Estuary， the Mississippi River Delta Estuary， and the Bermuda Triangle. It is also the cradle of Christianity， Islam， Judaism， Buddhism， and Taoism.

Chengdu， the capital of China’s southwestern Sichuan Province， is located at the 30th parallel north， whereas the rest of the world at the same degree of latitude is largely characterized by high temperatures， low precipitation， and even deserts， such as North Africa， the Middle East， Iran， Afghanistan， India， and Mexico， Chengdu is an exception. It is free from scorching heat in summer and mind-numbing cold in winter， boasting a picturesque landscape.

Seventy years ago， a Sichuan native scholar named Ren Naiqiang compared the Chengdu Plain with other plain areas in China from the perspective of natural conditions in his Lectures on Local History and Geography. He wrote： “The Chengdu Plain is free from drought compared with the plain areas in the lower reaches of the Yellow River; from dampness compared with the alluvial plain areas in the Yangtze River Delta; from flooding compared with the plain areas in the Pearl River Delta where crops are harvested three times per year and from frost and snow compared with the fertile Songliao Plain in Northeast China.”

The Chengdu Plain is located at the bottom of the Sichuan Basin， about 1，200 kilometers away from both the Pacific Ocean in the southeast and the Atlantic Ocean in the southwest. With no high mountains in between， warm currents from the two oceans can easily get into the Chengdu Plain， resulting in a humid， monsoon-influenced subtropical climate. To the north of the Sichuan Basin lie the magnificent Micang Mountains and Daba Mountains. To the north of the Daba Mountains are the high peaks of the Qinling Mountains. These mountains， like barriers，" prevent most of the cold air from North China from entering the Sichuan Basin in winter. Even if the cold currents can bypass these mountains， they will be weakened. The Chengdu Plain is therefore known as a warm winter zone， where spring arrives one month earlier than in the middle or lower reaches of the Yangtze River; the average temperature in winter is higher than in Wuhan， Nanjing， and Shanghai; and the frost period only lasts for about two months.

A great poet named Li Bai once penned the lines， “Out of paradise comes a wonderland， Chengdu，” during the Tang Dynasty. It suggests that Chengdu is the ingenuity of nature as it creates the most agreeable and livable home for people living on this land.

In a book titled Savoring China： Six Cities， Professor Yi Zhongtian from Xiamen University made a penetrating analysis of the cultural personalities of several Chinese cities， including Chengdu. Professor Yi is also an old friend of Chengdu， who has visited the city many times and offered many suggestions for its development.

He wrote： “I have always wanted to note that Chengdu is a city favored by nature.” This can be interpreted in two aspects：

First， Chengdu enjoys agreeable climate conditions， characterized by mild winter and cool summer， vast expanses of fertile land， lush vegetation， and well-designed irrigation systems. No other Chinese city can compare to it in terms of natural terrain. Throughout history， Chengdu has seldom experienced devastating natural catastrophes or man-made disasters; instead， it has seen the emergence of many eminent historical figures. In addition， the city also takes the lead in fecundity and amenities. In this sense， Chengdu is a city favored by nature.

Second， Chengdu is a popular choice for tourism， investment， and entertainment. There is an old Chinese saying， “Go to Guangzhou for the best cuisine， to Suzhou for the best embroidered fabric， to Hangzhou for the best attractions， and to Liuzhou for the best coffins.” You need not look further than Chengdu for a place that possesses the merits of these four cities. Chengdu is larger in area than Suzhou， has a better climate than Hangzhou， and is more recreational than Guangzhou.Chengdu is the birthplace of Shu brocade， which is as gorgeous as Suzhou embroidery.

Geographically， Chengdu is located at the crossroads of China.

There are two reference lines — the Qinling-Huaihe Line and the Yangtze River — used by geographers to distinguish between northern and southern China. Chengdu is in southern China， according to the former reference line， and in northern China， according to the latter. So， to which part of China does Chengdu belong？ The answer is that it is merely a transition zone in between.

To the north of Chengdu are the dry and cold upper reaches of the Yellow River; to the south are the warm and humid upper reaches of the Yangtze River. Chengdu is just in the transition zone between the cold and warm climate. To the west of Chengdu is the freezing-cold Tibetan Plateau defined by animal husbandry; to the east is the warm and humid Jianghan Plain defined by agriculture. Chengdu is also right in the transition zone between the plateau and the plain.

Its unique location as a crossroad surrounded by the Fuhe and Nanhe Rivers has endowed the city with the best geographic conditions for exchange and merger， for development and innovation—all of which are drivers of social progress. Zuo Si， a poet of the Jin Dynasty， stated in his Shu Capital Rhapsody， “Chengdu is a water-land transport hub leading to all directions.” As Luo Bi of the Song Dynasty noted in his Discourse on Poems of the Shu Mountain， “Chengdu borders Fan （barbaric tribes in the modern Tibetan Plateau） in the west， Han （middle and lower Yangtze reaches） in the east， Qin （the region of modern Xi’an and Hanzhong in Shaanxi Province） in the north， and Guang （modern Southern Sichuan， Guizhou， and Yunnan） in the south. It is a rich and fertile land favored by nature.”

Located in the heart of the Sichuan Basin， Chengdu is culturally characterized by its stability， locality， cohesiveness， and identity. The clearest indication of this is the fact that Chengdu is the only major Chinese city whose name and location have remained unchanged for thousands of years.