Life in Xiamen

The major city on the southeast

Xiamen is a major city on the southeast (Taiwan Strait) coast of the People’s Republic of China. It is administered as a sub-provincial city of Fujian province,with an area of 1,699.39 square kilometres (656.14 sq mi) and population of 3,531,347 at the 2010 Census.

Xiamen and the surrounding southern Fujian countryside are the ancestral home to large communities of overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia. The city was a treaty port in the 19th century and one of the four original Special Economic Zones opened to foreign investment and trade when China began economic reforms in the early 1980s. It is endowed with educational and cultural institutions supported by the overseas Chinese diaspora. In 2006, Xiamen was ranked as China’s second “most suitable city for living”, as well as China’s “most romantic leisure city” in 2011.

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Xiamen has a monsoonal humid subtropical climate, characterized by long, hot and humid summers (but moderate compared to much of the rest of the province) and short, mild and dry winters. The warmest month is July, with a 24-hour average of 27.8 C (82.0 F), and oddly, the coolest month is February, averaging 12.4 C (54.3 F); the annual mean is 20.42 C (68.8 F). Extremes since 1951 have ranged from 1.5 C (35 F) on 29 December 1991 to 39.2 C (103 F) on 20 July 2007. Spring, both by humidity and percentage of sunshine, is the dampest season but typhoons in late summer and early autumn can make the latter period wetter overall. Summer and autumn are marked by comparatively sunny conditions, while autumn is warm and dry.

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Xiamen cuisine is one of the native Chinese cuisines derived from the native cooking style of Fujian province in China,most notably from the Xiamen. Xiamen-style cuisine is known to be light but flavourful, soft, and tender, with particular emphasis on umami taste, retaining the original flavour of the main ingredients instead of masking them.

Many diverse seafood and woodland delicacies are used, including a myriad variety of local fish, shellfish and turtles, or indigenous edible mushrooms and bamboo shoots, provided by the coastal and mountainous regions of Fujian. The most commonly employed cooking techniques in the region’s cuisine include braising, stewing, steaming and boiling.

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Gulangyu Island

Gulangyu is a car free island off the coast of Xiamen City, which is is quite small and is across from the ferry terminal on Xiamen Island near Xiamen University.

Gulangyu Island covers an area of 1.78 square kilometers and stands opposite to Xiamen City across the sea. It is home to about 20,000 people and is a very popular tourist destination. Among the many scenic spots on the island, the most attractive are Sunlight Rock and the Shuzhuang Garden.

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Wanshi Botanical Garden

Wanshi Botanical Garden, also known as the Xiamen Botanical Garden, is a carefully designed botanical garden around Modanyan Reservoir on the northern slope of Shi Mountain in southeast urban area of Xiamen.
Modanyan reservoir was built in 1952 with extension of Wanshi Botanical Garden. It is divided into more than 20 botanical zones, cultivating grounds and display rooms for more than tens of thousands of cultivated tropical.

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Sunlight Rock

Sunlight Rock is also known as Dragon Head Hill. As the highest point of Gulangyu Island, Sunlight Rock Scenic Area includes Sunlight Rock and Piano Garden.
Sunlight Rock Temple is one of the four top Buddhist temples in Xiamen. The temple was first built in the Ming Dynasty and was famed far and wide, attracting accomplished monks throughout the dynasties. Connected to Sunlight Rock through the cable car, Piano Garden is another attraction for tourists.

As the most popular city of Fujian Province, the transportation in Xiamen is very convenient. Just like other cities in China, the public transportation is good and is still been improved.

  • Xiamen BRT The main forms of public transportation in Xiamen are bus and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). Xiamen’s Bus Rapid Transit system features a dedicated bus-only closed road system with stations and ticketing system similar to light rail. Most of the 115 kilometres BRT network consist of bus lanes along expressways and elevated BRT viaducts on Xiamen Island. BRT routes have no traffic lights and travel speed is limited by design to 60 kilometres per hour (37 mph). Five BRT routes are currently in service: BRT-1 Route, BRT-2 Route, Huandao Avenue BRT Route, Chenggong Avenue BRT Route and Connecting BRT Route. The fare is 0.6 RMB per km for the air-conditioned buses. The BRT is supplemented by 20 shuttle bus services that connect nearby places to the BRT stations. The shuttle bus service has a flat rate of 0.5 RMB. Fare discount is available when pre-paid e-card is used.
  • By Bus There are 288 lines in Xiamen city, served by about 5000 buses. The fare is 2 rmb. Most of the buses are available from 5:00 to 23:00.
  • By Taxi Taxis can be easily hailed in most areas of the city. Bicycles are commonly used by residents, especially on Xiamen Island.
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Life in Shanghai

The largest Chinese city

Shanghai is the largest Chinese city by population and the largest city proper by population in the world. It is one of the four direct-controlled municipalities, with a population of more than 24 million as of 2013. It is a global financial center, and a transport hub with the world’s busiest container port. Located in the Yangtze River Delta in East China, Shanghai sits at the mouth of the Yangtze in the middle portion of the Chinese coast.

The municipality borders the provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the north, south and west, and is bounded to the east by the East China Sea.

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Shanghai is the commercial and financial center of mainland China, and ranks twentieth in the 2014 edition of the Global Financial Centres Index published by the City of London. It was the largest and most prosperous city in the Far East during the 1930s, and rapid re-development began in 1990s.

Shanghai has an extensive public transport system, largely based on metros, buses and taxis. Payment of all these public transportation tools can be made by using the Shanghai Public Transportation Card.

  • Air Shanghai is one of the leading air transport gateways in Asia. The city has two commercial airports: Shanghai Pudong International Airport and Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport. Pudong Airport is the main international airport, while Hongqiao Airport mainly operates domestic flights with limited short-haul international flights. In 2010 the two airports served 71.7 million passengers (Pudong 40.4 million, Hongqiao 31.3 million), and handled 3.7 million tons of cargo (Pudong 3.22 million tons, Hongqiao 480 thousand tons).
  • Railway Shanghai has four major railway stations: Shanghai Railway Station, Shanghai South Railway Station, Shanghai West Railway Station, and Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station. Three are connected to the metro network and serve as hubs in the railway network of China.
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Shanghai has a rich collection of buildings and structures of various architectural styles. The Bund, located by the bank of the Huangpu River, contains a rich collection of early 20th-century architecture, ranging in style from neoclassical HSBC Building to the art deco Sassoon House. A number of areas in the former foreign concessions are also well-preserved, the most notable ones being the French Concession. Shanghai has one of the worlds largest number of Art Deco buildings as a result of the construction boom during the 1920s and 1930s. One of the most famous architects working in Shanghai was László Hudec, a Hungarian-Slovak architect who lived in the city between 1918–1947.

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Life in Kunming

The capital and largest city of Yunnan province

Kunming is the capital and largest city of Yunnan province in Southwest China.
A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of Yunnan, and is the seat of the provincial government. It is also home to several universities, museums, galleries and other important economic, cultural, and educational institutions.

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Kunming located at an elevation of 1,890 metres (6,200 ft) on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau with low latitude and high elevation, Kunming has one of the mildest climates in China, characterised by short, cool dry winters with mild days and crisp nights, and long, warm and humid summers, but much cooler than the lowlands. The weather never gets very hot in summer;

The temperature has exceeded 30 °C (86 °F) only on a handful of occasions. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from 8.1 °C (46.6 °F) in January to 19.9 °C (67.8 °F) in June, with daily high temperatures reaching their lowest point and peak in December and May, respectively.

With its perpetual spring-like weather which provides the ideal climate for plants and flowers, Kunming is known as the “City of Eternal Spring”. The city is covered with blossoms and lush vegetation all-year round.

The period from May to October is the rainy season and the rest of the year is dry. The city has an annual mean temperature of 14.91 °C (58.8 °F), rainfall of 1,011 millimetres (39.8 in) (nearly three-fifths occurring from June to August), 2,198 hours of bright sunshine, and a frost-free period of 230 days. Extreme temperatures in the city have ranged from −7.8 to 32.3 °C (18 to 90 °F)

Local transit
Public buses and taxis are the two main means of transport within the city. A metro system is currently under construction.

Nearly two hundred public bus lines crisscross the city center, covering the whole prefecture. Prices are usually 1 yuan for a no air-conditioned and 2 yuan for air-conditioned.

Taxis are plenty with the starting price at ¥8 for the first three kilometer and ¥1.6 added for per extra km. After 10pm price rises to ¥9.6 for the first 3 km (1.9 mi) and ¥2.7 added to per extra km. ( It is so much cheaper than the other cities in China, Shanghai starts at ¥14 at the day time and ¥16 at night.)

Cycling is common, and many hotels around the Kunming Railway Station provide bicycle rental services usually priced 2 yuan/hour and 10 yuan/day.

Conscious of its growing traffic issues, the city is currently renovating a pedestrian-friendly city centre.

Road and transit 
Yunnan has built a comprehensive highway system with roads reaching almost all the major cities or towns in the region. Bus travel across the region is extensive. Buses head from Kunming to destinations such as Dali and Lijiang several times a day.

Leaving China by road into Vietnam and Laos is also possible through the respective crossings at Hekou in southeastern Yunnan or Bian Mao Zhan in Xishuangbanna.

The Kunming-Bangkok Expressway is the first expressway from China to Bangkok via Laos. The 1,800 km (1,100 mi) long Kunming-Bangkok Expressway begins at Kunming going down to Ban Houayxay in Laos; it then crosses the Mekong River to Chiangkhong in Thailand and eventually reaches Bangkok.

Cui Lake

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Tien Lake

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Dali

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Li jiang

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Xishuangbanna

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Life in Chongqing

Formerly romanized as Chungking is a major city in Southwest China

Chongqing Chinese: 重庆; pinyin: Chóngqìng; Formerly romanized as Chungking is a major city in Southwest China and one of the five national central cities in the People’s Republic of China (PRC).Administratively, it is one of the PRC’s four direct-controlled municipalities (the other three are Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin), and the only such municipality in inland China. Climite: Chongqing has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate, and for most of the year experiences very humid conditions. Known as one of the “Three Furnaces” of the Yangtze River, along with Wuhan and Nanjing, its summers are long and among the hottest and most humid in China, with highs of 33 to 34 °C (91 to 93 °F) in July and August in the urban area.

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Chongqing cuisine is very spicy and is known for its creative new dishes with various materials. It has various styles and tastes. There are over 30 cooking methods, above 4,000 dishes, more than 20 tastes and over 10 flavors. The representative dishes are Chongqing hotpot, boiled fish, boiled fish with pickled vegetable, old duck soup, hot and sour rice noodles, spicy chicken, Quanshui chicken, etc, among which hotpot is most famous.

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Three Gorges
The Yangtze River is famous for its historical sites and enchanting scenic spots. The Three Gorges, the most spectacular section of the Yangtze River, are filled with breathtaking sceneries. With Baidi City (bái dì chéng , Fengjie (fèng jié ) in Chongqing Municipality to the west end and Yichang (yí chāng ) in the Hubei province (hú běi ) at the east, the Three Gorges, Qutang (qú táng xiá ), Wu (wū xiá ) and Xiling (xī líng xiá ), total 192 km in length, will present an entirely different picture, Making the fine scenic spots of the worldwide level.

Jindaoxia Gorge

Jindaoxia Gorge, well known for its steep hills, elegant waterfall, grotesque rocks, clear waters and strange caves, is like a fairyland. It has an ancient plank road built along the face of a cliff and visitors can enjoy an exciting ramble around the area.

Simianshan mountain

Simianshan mountain is national top scenic spot. It have evergreen broad-leaved forests that are the home to more than 2000 kinds of plants and animals also it includes 28 waterfalls and 8 lakes, all of which make up 128 scenic spots.
located: Jiangjin (jiāng jīn ).

Chongqing has a diverse and comprehensive transport system which includes some interesting modes of transport found in very few of China’s major cities. A visit here should include a ride by cable car across either the Yangtze or Jialing rivers.

  • By Bus City buses in Chongqing are classified into ordinary, medium-grade and high-grade vehicles and prices range from rmb2 to rmb5 for across town routes. The medium ones correspond to air-conditioned buses in other cities. The starting fare is CNY1.5 and a little bit higher than ordinary ones.run as late as midnight.
  • Light rail The first city rail line in western China, light rail line No.2, went into operation on June 18, 2005. It runs partway along the Jialing River and has become a popular sightseeing ride for both locals and tourists.
  • By Taxi Flag fall 10rmb (Over 3 km, 1.50rmb/km) is the cheapest of any major city of this size.
    The distinctive “bee” yellow of the regular Chongqing taxi is a rather appropriate color as they work hard to move people around the city and the high-quality service of the clean taxies is one of the characteristics of Chongqing.
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Life in Beijing

Capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world

Beijing, sometimes romanized as Peking, is the capital of the People’s Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world. The population as of 2013 was 21,150,000. The metropolis, located in northern China, is governed as a direct-controlled municipality under the national government, with 14 urban and suburban districts and two rural counties. Beijing Municipality is surrounded by Hebei Province with the exception of neighboring Tianjin Municipality to the southeast.

Beijing is the second largest Chinese city by urban population after Shanghai and is the nation’s political, cultural, and educational center. It is home to the headquarters of most of China’s largest state-owned companies, and is a major hub for the national highway, expressway, railway, and high-speed rail networks. The Beijing Capital International Airport is the second busiest in the world by passenger traffic.

The city’s history dates back three millennia. As the last of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China, Beijing has been the political center of the country for much of the past eight centuries. The city is renowned for its opulent palaces, temples, parks and gardens, tombs, walls and gates, and its art treasures and universities have made it a center of culture and art in China.[13] Encyclopædia Britannica notes that “few cities in the world have served for so long as the political headquarters and cultural centre of an area as immense as China.

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  • Air Beijing’s primary airport is the Beijing Capital International Airport (IATA: PEK) about 20 kilometres (12 mi) northeast of the city center. The airport is the second busiest airport in the world after Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.[11] After renovations for the 2008 Olympics, the airport now boasts three terminals, with Terminal 3 being one of the largest in the world. Most domestic and nearly all international flights arrive at and depart from Capital Airport. It is the main hub for Air China and a hub for China Southern and Hainan Airlines. The airport links Beijing with almost every other Chinese city with regular air passenger service.
  • Metro The Beijing Subway, which began operating in 1969, now has 17 lines, 227 stations, and 456 km (283 mi) of track and is the third longest subway system in the world and first in annual ridership with 3.21 billion rides delivered in 2013.
  • Bicycle Beijing has long been well known for the number of bicycles on its streets. Although the rise of motor traffic has created a great deal of congestion and bicycle use has declined, bicycles are still an important form of local transportation. Large numbers of cyclists can be seen on most roads in the city, and most of the main roads have dedicated bicycle lanes.
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Three styles of architecture are predominant in urban Beijing. First, there is the traditional architecture of imperial China, perhaps best exemplified by the massive Tian’anmen (Gate of Heavenly Peace), which remains the People’s Republic of China’s trademark edifice, the Forbidden City, the Imperial Ancestral Temple and the Temple of Heaven. Next, there is what is sometimes referred to as the “Sino-Sov” style, with structures tending to be boxy and sometimes poorly constructed, which were built between the 1950s and the 1970s. Finally, there are much more modern architectural forms, most noticeably in the area of the Beijing CBD and Beijing Financial Street.

In the early 21st century, Beijing has witnessed tremendous growth of new building constructions, exhibiting various modern styles from international designers. A mixture of both 1950s design and neofuturistic style of architecture can be seen at the 798 Art Zone, which mixes the old with the new.

Beijing is famous for its siheyuans, a type of residence where a common courtyard is shared by the surrounding buildings. Among the more grand examples are the Prince Gong Mansion and Residence of Soong Ching-ling. These courtyards are usually connected by alleys called hutongs. The hutongs are generally straight and run east to west so that doorways face north and south for good Feng Shui. They vary in width; some are so narrow only a few pedestrians can pass through at a time. Once ubiquitous in Beijing, siheyuans and hutongs are rapidly disappearing, as entire city blocks of hutongs are replaced by high-rise buildings. Residents of the hutongs are entitled to live in the new buildings in apartments of at least the same size as their former residences. Many complain, however, that the traditional sense of community and street life of the hutongs cannot be replaced, and these properties are often government owned.

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Life in Chengdu

One of the most important economic, transportation, and communication centers in West China.

Chengdu, where Sichuan Airlines is based, is the capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China. It holds sub-provincial administrative status and with a population of more than 10 million.

Chengdu is one of the most important economic, transportation, and communication centers in West China. Chengdu was chosen as one of the top ten cities to invest in out of a total of 280 urban centers in China. It was recently named China’s 4th-most livable city by “China Daily”.

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Chengdu has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate and is largely mild and humid. It has four distinct seasons, blessed with abundant rainfall, and relieved from both sweltering summers and freezing winters. January averages 5.6 °C (42.1 °F), and snow is rare but there are a few periods of frost each winter. The summer is hot and humid. July and August average around 25 °C (77 °F), with afternoon highs sometimes reaching 33 °C (91 °F).

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Some of China’s most important literature comes from Chengdu. Chengdu has been home to literary giants. Face-changing masks and fire breathing remain hallmarks of the Sichuan Opera.

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“Sichuan Cuisine” is unique and world-famous. Chengdu is an officially recognized UNESCO City of Gastronomy. People from Chengdu tend to eat spicy food. Local specialties include Kungpao Chicken, Mapo Doufu, Chengdu Hotpot, and Dandan Noodles. Those dishes contain Sichuan peppers to give them additional unique flavor.

Can’t get used to “Chinese food”? Never mind, more than 20000 foreigners came to study, work or even settle down in Chengdu, Chengdu has well prepared all kinds of authentic western-style restaurants, buffet, and coffeehouses to select.

An article by the Los Angeles Times called Chengdu “China’s party city” for its carefree lifestyle. Chengdu outnumbers Shanghai in the number of tea houses and bars despite having less than half the population. The inhabitants have a reputation in China for having a laid-back attitude and for knowing how to enjoy life.

As China’s national treasure, the giant panda is one of the rarest animals in the world. The total number is estimated to be 1,500, including those living in the wild, 80% of which are in Sichuan Province. In Chengdu, a world renowned breeding and research base for giant pandas has been established, where you may pay a visit to.

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Dujiangyan Irrigation System:

the oldest existing irrigation project in the world with a history of over 2000 years, as long as the Great Wall, diverting water without a dam to distribute water and filter sand with an inflow-quantity control. The irrigation system contains floods and droughts throughout the Plain of Chengdu.

Chengdu is home to the greatest number of universities and research institutes, the center of higher education and scientific research in Southwest China. It has 49 colleges and universities, numbers of international schools.

International schools (covering from nursery school to high school) include:

•       Oxford International College of Chengdu

•       Chengdu Meishi International School

•       Chengdu International School

•       The Leman International School of Chengdu

•       Quality Schools International

•       QSI International School of Chengdu

•       Eton House

The United States Consulate General at Chengdu opened on October 16, 1985. It was the first foreign consulate in west-central China since 1949. Currently eight countries have consulates in Chengdu. The United Kingdom also has a visa application center in Chengdu.

Consulate

Year

United States Consulate General Chengdu

1985

Germany Consulate General Chengdu

2003

Republic of Korea Consulate General Chengdu

2004

Thailand Consulate General Chengdu

2004

France Consulate General Chengdu

2005

Singapore Consulate General Chengdu

2006

Pakistan Consulate General Chengdu

2007

Sri Lanka Consulate Chengdu

2007

Life in Chengdu

One of the most important economic, transportation, and communication centers in West China.

Chengdu, where Sichuan Airlines is based, is the capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China. It holds sub-provincial administrative status and with a population of more than 10 million.

Chengdu is one of the most important economic, transportation, and communication centers in West China. Chengdu was chosen as one of the top ten cities to invest in out of a total of 280 urban centers in China. It was recently named China’s 4th-most livable city by “China Daily”.

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Chengdu has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate and is largely mild and humid. It has four distinct seasons, blessed with abundant rainfall, and relieved from both sweltering summers and freezing winters. January averages 5.6 °C (42.1 °F), and snow is rare but there are a few periods of frost each winter. The summer is hot and humid. July and August average around 25 °C (77 °F), with afternoon highs sometimes reaching 33 °C (91 °F).

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Some of China’s most important literature comes from Chengdu. Chengdu has been home to literary giants. Face-changing masks and fire breathing remain hallmarks of the Sichuan Opera.

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“Sichuan Cuisine” is unique and world-famous. Chengdu is an officially recognized UNESCO City of Gastronomy. People from Chengdu tend to eat spicy food. Local specialties include Kungpao Chicken, Mapo Doufu, Chengdu Hotpot, and Dandan Noodles. Those dishes contain Sichuan peppers to give them additional unique flavor.

Can’t get used to “Chinese food”? Never mind, more than 20000 foreigners came to study, work or even settle down in Chengdu, Chengdu has well prepared all kinds of authentic western-style restaurants, buffet, and coffeehouses to select.

An article by the Los Angeles Times called Chengdu “China’s party city” for its carefree lifestyle. Chengdu outnumbers Shanghai in the number of tea houses and bars despite having less than half the population. The inhabitants have a reputation in China for having a laid-back attitude and for knowing how to enjoy life.

As China’s national treasure, the giant panda is one of the rarest animals in the world. The total number is estimated to be 1,500, including those living in the wild, 80% of which are in Sichuan Province. In Chengdu, a world renowned breeding and research base for giant pandas has been established, where you may pay a visit to.

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Dujiangyan Irrigation System:

the oldest existing irrigation project in the world with a history of over 2000 years, as long as the Great Wall, diverting water without a dam to distribute water and filter sand with an inflow-quantity control. The irrigation system contains floods and droughts throughout the Plain of Chengdu.

Chengdu is home to the greatest number of universities and research institutes, the center of higher education and scientific research in Southwest China. It has 49 colleges and universities, numbers of international schools.

International schools (covering from nursery school to high school) include:

•       Oxford International College of Chengdu

•       Chengdu Meishi International School

•       Chengdu International School

•       The Leman International School of Chengdu

•       Quality Schools International

•       QSI International School of Chengdu

•       Eton House

The United States Consulate General at Chengdu opened on October 16, 1985. It was the first foreign consulate in west-central China since 1949. Currently eight countries have consulates in Chengdu. The United Kingdom also has a visa application center in Chengdu.

Consulate

Year

United States Consulate General Chengdu

1985

Germany Consulate General Chengdu

2003

Republic of Korea Consulate General Chengdu

2004

Thailand Consulate General Chengdu

2004

France Consulate General Chengdu

2005

Singapore Consulate General Chengdu

2006

Pakistan Consulate General Chengdu

2007

Sri Lanka Consulate Chengdu

2007