Hiking in a Forest Born Out of Mount Fuji’s Lava

A thick forest thrives on hardened lava that once flowed down Mount Fuji’s northwestern flank into lakes that reflect the volcano’s snow-capped cone like rippling mirrors. Within it, the roots of hemlock and cypress trees snake out over the ground through a blanket of moss, and trails lead to deep caverns filled with ice.

The Aokigahara forest, as this tangle of woods is called, was born on 12 square miles of lava from an eruption in the year 864, the biggest in 3,500 years. The event left Japan’s rulers awe-struck and its countrymen inspired to worship the volcano as a god. A walk into this isolated place, where nature’s power to rebound from cataclysm is so clearly on display, can be intensely spiritual.

Perhaps because of that, the woods inspire an almost reverential fear in Japan and, increasingly, beyond it. In the past year alone, three North American movies have opened with plots based on the woods’ reputation as a suicide destination and warren of paranormal activity: “The Sea of Trees” with Matthew McConaughey, “The Forest” and “The People Garden.” Those films come six years after “Suicide Forest,” a Vice documentary that has gotten more than 15 million views on YouTube and has furthered the idea that the forest is a place where people end their lives.

I decided I would hike from Lake Shoji, the smallest of Fuji’s five lakes, for about six miles to the site of the eruption that created Aokigahara. But first, I hired a guide to take my wife and me to an area on the forest’s western edge that is popular with tourists.

A train painted with Mount Fuji cartoons took us on the last leg of the two-hour trip from Tokyo to Kawaguchiko Station on a drizzly Friday last spring. From the station, a gateway to Fuji and its lakes, we rode a bus for 30 minutes to the Fugaku Wind Cave parking lot.
Takaaki Abe waited for us at the trailhead in a baseball cap and hiking boots. He told us he was 65 and had guided in the forest for 15 years, which made me feel better about paying 12,000 yen (about $103) to a company called Fuji Kanko Kogyo for a two-hour nature walk and visit to two caves.

Mr. Abe pointed his trekking pole into the forest as we started on the trail, which was crowded with families and children. The moss covering the trees retained water, allowing them to thrive without traditional soil. The ground we stood on certainly was anything but: In some places, the lava is more than 440 feet deep. There were holes, caused by violent emissions of steam, lurking in spaces between the hinoki trees, or Japanese cypress, and goyo matsu, or five-needle pines.

At the cave, we descended stairs into a broad hole that funneled into a cavern. Backlit ice pillars glowed in hues of translucent purple, and placards said the cave was once used to refrigerate seeds and silkworm cocoons. As we left, crouching and ducking our heads, Mr. Abe clapped his hands. Tiny holes in the lava absorbed the sound. “If you yell for help, nobody will hear you,” he said.

That comment prompted me to ask Mr. Abe if he had ever seen a ghost.

“No,” he said with a chuckle. “But I want to.”

I wanted to learn more about the forest, so on Wednesday I took a bus from my wife’s hometown, Kofu, about 17 miles north of Aokigahara, to the Fujisan Museum in Fujiyoshida. Headphones told me in English that after the Jogan eruption, the one that created Aokigahara, Japan’s imperial court thought it had divined the cause. The court determined that “Shinto priests’ negligence in performing religious rights” had angered the volcano, and it ordered provinces nearest Mount Fuji to increase worship of the volcano’s deity, Asama no Okami.
“It was the biggest eruption on record, so it had the biggest impact on people,” Takeru Shinohara, the museum’s curator, told me. Construction of the Kawaguchi Asama Shrine northeast of the volcano, a site now part of Fuji’s Unesco World Heritage designation, started in 865. Today there are more than 1,000 such sacred places, known as Asama or Sengen shrines.

I told Mr. Shinohara that I planned to hike through the forest on the route starting at Lake Shoji. He said most tourists didn’t know about the path, which is part of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, because few traveled beyond the more developed banks of Lake Kawaguchi and Lake Sai.

“It’s become a forgotten trail over time,” he said.

Two days later I was on a bus from Kawaguchiko Station to the Akaike stop at Lake Shoji. I crossed Route 139 and found the trailhead on a dead-end road behind a fire station, then followed the paved path onto the lava.

Take just one step into Aokigahara alone and you will understand how it got its reputation. Once-molten terrain swells and dips into the distance like a petrified ocean. Vines dangle from trees and moss partially hides deep crevasses. Sadly, there is also evidence that it is a suicide forest: I saw shiny blister packs that once held pills scattered amid the leaves, and fluorescent ribbons tied to trees by either thrill seekers or people who never returned. The Vice documentary followed these ribbons to locate human remains.

I came upon a guided group at a junction after only a few minutes.

“Whoa, are you alone?” one of the men asked me in English. “Don’t get lost.”
I told him not to worry, but I could understand his warning. The lava’s mineral content has a reputation for making navigational devices go haywire, and the forest looks the same in all directions. I had reached out to two Japanese geologists, Masato Koyama at Shizuoka University and Akira Takada of the Geological Survey of Japan, who said that holding a compass to the lava could move the needle, but that the device should work properly when held higher. My compasses worked fine, as did my hand-held GPS device.

I didn’t see anyone for the next hour, until the trail crossed a road and a man wearing a helmet and kneepads stood by a red scooter. He said his name was Yoshihide Yamazaki, he was 50 and he had come from Tokyo.

“My hobby is taking pictures of insects,” Mr. Yamazaki said. He held out laminated business cards with bug photos on them, and I took one. He said he came to Aokigahara to photograph the kamikiri mushi, or long-horned beetle.

I asked if he became scared wandering by himself.

“It’s dangerous if you go off the trail,” he said, holding up a plastic bag and an elastic band he wrapped around trees to avoid losing his way. “You can get lost very quickly.”

I asked if he had ever seen a ghost. He shook his head and said, “I wouldn’t mind seeing a good ghost.”
“What about an onryo?” I asked, using the Japanese word for a vengeful spirit.

“Dame,” he said. No way.

Mr. Yamazaki packed his camera into a storage compartment. “Now it’s light,” he said, looking into the forest. “But when it gets darker, it’s very scary.”

As I approached the site of the eruption, an area where magma oozed from fissure vents near a cone on Fuji’s slope called Mount Nagaoyama, the trail cut deeper into the lava flow. Black volcanic rock rose above my head. Then the lava gradually grew sparse, grass began to line the pathway and the twisted trees of Aokigahara faded into taller pines.

I spent the next hour trying to find a more dramatic transition, a steep drop from a lava flow or a fissure. But I never did. Aokigahara simply blended into the mountain.

I later went to the Kawaguchi Asama Shrine. I walked under the towering red gate and toward a group of ancient cedar trees. A shrine worker handed me a pamphlet, which had a picture of a waterfall inside of it. I asked him how to get there.

An hour later, on a trail above the waterfall that continued on to the summit of Mount Mitsutoge, the clouds pulled back like curtains and Mount Fuji appeared across the valley. I had never seen the volcano like that before, straight on and from an elevation, like a view from an airplane, and it was breathtaking.

Beneath the snow on the upper cone, the slopes broadened upon the land for miles. I looked at the forest on the northwestern flank and tried to imagine what the Shinto priests from the shrine below me would have seen over 1,150 years ago, long before the moss and the trees and the movies.

Incandescent rivers of lava lighting up the sky.

Mutianyu Great Wall

The Mutianyu Great Wall is one of the best-preserved and best-known Great Wall sections. Compared with the top-notch Badaling, Great Wall at Mutianyu is less crowded, thus a good destination on hot holidays for a Great Wall tour at ease. Located 40 miles (65km) to the north of Beijing city proper, it can be reached by bus no. 916 Express with a transfer in Huairou District.

 Why Visit Mutianyu Great Wall
 It is one of the best-preserved sections.

 Watchtowers are tensely distributed along the Great Wall.

 Some of the watchtowers are seldom seen along other sections and quite rare in the architectural history of the Great Wall. Examples are the Zhengguan Terrace (No. 6 Watchtower) comprised of three hollow watchtowers, and Big Corner Tower (No. 1 Watchtower), named so because only one big corner can be seen from the paths in three sides.

 The surrounding natural scenery is breath-taking. Woods cover over ninety-six percent of the total scenic area. Flowers bloom all over the mountains in spring. Grasses dress the hillside green in summer. Trees are laden with sweet fruit in autumn, and especially in October, leaves turn red or yellow, touching the mountain tops with gold. In winter, the wall is covered by snow, making it more magnificent.

 About 40 miles (65km) to the north of Beijing city center, it is easy to reach from downtown area by public transport.

 It has been renovated, making it easier and safer to climb. Moreover, it is equipped with cableway and luge, possible for children and seniors to make a visit.
 Basic Facts of Mutianyu Great Wall
 It has a total length of 3.4 miles (5,400 meters).

 It was first built in Northern Qi Dynasty (550-557). In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Tan Lun and Qi Jiguang, two famous patriotic generals, rebuilt it in order to strengthen its defensive potential when they guarded the strategic pass. It served as the northern protective screen, guarding the capital and imperial mausoleums for generations.

 It is mainly made of slabs of granite. It measures 23 feet (7 meters) to 26 feet (8 meters) in height, and 4 yards (4 meters) to 5 yards (5 meters) in width.

 Both sides of the Great Wall have parapets to defend against enemies. Some parapets are saw- tooth shaped instead of the regular rectangular form. Below the parapets, there are square embrasures, the top of which are designed in an arc structure, different from the traditional round embrasures.

There are 23 watchtowers distributed at close intervals along the wall. They are located not only in the main wall but also at the distinctive "branch city". Branch cities are built on the hill ridge against the inner or outer side of the wall. For example, No. 11 Watchtower can be found on the branch wall.

 Zhengguan Terrace (No. 6 Watchtower) is 44 yards (40 meters) long, 33 yards (30 meters) wide, and 66 feet (20 meters) high. The gate is not designed in the middle, but is on the eastern side. The two-storey terrace is comprised of three hollow watchtowers, a large one in the middle and two smaller ones on two sides. It has many rooms to store grain and station troops.

 Big Corner Tower (No. 1 Watchtower) is connected with Mutianyu in the west, with Gubeikou in the east, and with a branch city wall in the south. The tower looks like a corner from each angle, so it is called Big Corner Tower.

The Top 6 Places to Visit in China in 2017

1 Beijing — China’s Ancient and Modern Capital

Beijing, China's capital city for over 700 years, is a vibrant blend of historic grandeur and impressive modernity. It is home to some of the finest remnants of China’s imperial past, including the Great Wall and the Forbidden City… Beijing is a must for a first trip to China.

2 Shanghai — China’s Most Prosperous City

Shanghai is China’s largest and richest city. It offers you a glimpse of the future of China. The impressive skylines and colonial architecture of the Bund display an atmosphere of vitality rivaling New York and London.

3 Xi’an — Window on China’s Ancient Civilization

Xi’an is to China as Rome is to Europe in ancient civilizations. China’s ancient culture focused around Xi’an for a thousand years. As capital of nine ancient dynasties, Xi’an has many ancient attractions, from the Terracotta Army (206 BC) to medieval Tang Dynasty feasts and entertainment.

4 Guilin — Idyllic Mountain and Water Scenery

Guilin’s karst landscapes are the Chinese conception of the most beautiful place on earth. The ever-green limestone hills, sparkling rivers, and traditional villages are the inspiration of China’s landscape paintings.
“I have found that no city can surpass the beauty of Guilin.” — Former US President Nixon

5 Chengdu — Hometown of Giant Pandas

Although you may see a giant panda in your country, the place to see more of them and grow a deep understanding of them is Chengdu. Only in Chengdu can you hold a panda, or take care of pandas by joining a panda keeper program.

6 Zhangjiajie — Pandora’s Hallelujah Mountains

Zhangjiajie was thrust into foreign travelers' eyes through the alien planet movie Avatar. The Hallelujah Mountains were inspired by Heavenly Pillar in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. Zhangjiajie is famous for its dense precarious peaks, deep gorges, limpid streams, and biodiversity.

10 China Destinations for You to Consider Visiting in 2016

Where in China should you go this year? Here we recommend ten of the best-selling tourist destinations for 2016. We have also linked our top related tours for your convenience.

1. Beijing — the Forbidden City and the Great Wall

Beijing is the most popular tourist destination in China every year. In 2016 Beijing should continue to be the best seller, where you can get the maximum experience of Chinese culture and history for one destination. The Forbidden City and the Great Wall draw millions of visitors every year.

Things to Do in Beijing

• Visit the Forbidden City to see the spectacular ancient architectural complex.
• Hike on the Great Wall to be a "real man" (according to Chairman Mao).
• Enjoy a cool vacation like an emperor in the Summer Palace.
• Take a bike ride in the hutongs to experience Beijing's traditional culture.

2. Xi'an — the Terracotta Army

As one of the most popular tourist destinations among foreign travelers, Xi'an always attracts many on their first trip to China. The Terracotta Army in Xi'an is considered one of the greatest archaeological sites in the world. More than 6,000 life-size terracotta warriors and horses have been unearthed, all with different expressions and poses. Many remain interred.

Things to Do in Xi'an

• Visit the amazing Terracotta Army.
• Bike on the Ancient City Wall.
• Watch the Fabulous Fountain Show in Goose Pagoda Square.
• Hang out and snack in Muslim Street.

3. Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou — 1 Hour by Bullet Train

High-speed rail makes your China tour more convenient. Suzhou and Hangzhou are now only an hour's travel by bullet train from Shanghai! Enjoy ancient culture, gardens, and water towns from modern Shanghai, a top gateway city. The traditional gardens are quiet and inspirational places for escaping from busy city life.

Things to Do in These Cities

• Leisurely boat tours and strolling around in historic water town.
• Appreciate traditional Chinese gardens: Yu Garden in Shanghai, Humble Administrator's Garden in Suzhou, West Lake in Hangzhou,…

4. Chengdu — Center of Cute Giant Panda Breeding

Giant pandas are so cute, and many travelers want to see, or even hug, these lovely animals. Although there are giant pandas in zoos in various places around China, the best place to see or hug pandas is in Chengdu. Visitors can take part in volunteer programs to take care of giant pandas.

Things to Do in Chengdu

• Watch giant pandas and join a panda keeper program.
• Enjoy Sichuan Opera and watch magical face changing.
• Visit the Leshan Giant Buddha.

5. Yunnan — the Stone Forest, Colorful Red Land...

Yunnan is worth visiting all year round. It's not only a fantastic place for enjoying natural scenery, but also a good place to experience different minority cultures. Major attractions near the capital Kunming include the best rice terraces at Yuanyang; mountainous Lijiang in the west, and tropical Xishuangbanna in the south.

Things to Do in Yunnan

• Gape at Stone Forest World Geopark, the most grotesque karst landscape in the world.
• Photograph Dongchuan Red Land, featuring dark red, purple red, and brick red colors.
• Enjoy a relaxing vacation at altitude in Lijiang Ancient Town.
• Experience Dai minority culture in Xishuangbanna.
• Photograph the Yuanyang Terraced Fields.

6. Zhangjiajie — Wonders of Nature

Zhangjiajie is famous for its precarious peaks, limpid streams, dense forests, and large karst caves. It is one of the must-see scenic areas in China. It was thrust into foreigner travelers' eyes via the movie Avatar. The Hallelujah Mountains in Avatar were inspired (in part) by the Heavenly Pillar in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park.

Things to Do in Zhangjiajie

• Hike and climb among the pillars and peaks of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park.
• Take a cable car to enjoy fantastic views on Tianmen Mountain, and experience the chilling cliff-side glass path.

7. Tibet — a Holy and Pure Place

Tibet is on the highest plateau in the world. There are many Buddhist buildings, due to Tibetans' strong culture of faith. On Lhasa's streets you can see sincere pilgrims doing full-body prostrations or spinning prayer wheels. The natural scenery will take your breath away, with its super-clear blue skies and lakes. It's also the best place in China for viewing Mount Everest.

Things to Do in Tibet

• Visit The Potala Palace, a huge treasure house of articles from Tibetan history, religion, culture, and art.
• Visit Lake Yamdrok, "the turquoise earring scattered in the mountains".
• Camp at Mount Everest to see the sunrise at the top of the world.

8. Huangshan — the Yellow Mountains

Legendary natural scenery is the highlight of Huangshan. It has "the most beautiful mountains in China". The Yellow Mountains, with their seas of clouds, oddly-shaped rocks and pines, and hot springs at the mountain foot, attract many visitors. Besides the beautiful mountains, many visitors also go see the beautiful countryside scenery and its ancient villages.

Things to Do in Huangshan

• Climb the Yellow Mountains and see spectacular rocks and seas of clouds.
• Visit the "artists' muse" — the beautiful village of Hongcun.

9. Guilin — Classic Chinese Countryside

"East to west, Guilin is best." Guilin's idyllic scenery draws millions of tourists from near and far every year. Its marvelous limestone scenery is renowned as "the most beautiful on earth". The fresh air and countryside scenery make it an ideal place to escape industrial pollution. The Li River in Yangshuo county is the top highlight of Guilin, and the Longji Terraced Fields attract many photographers in spring and fall.

Things to Do in Guilin

• Take a cruise to see the picturesque Li River.
• Snap the Longji Terraced Fields and experience minority culture in Longsheng.
• Discover awe-inspiring and colorful Reed Flute Cave in Guilin City.

10. Hong Kong — Shopping Paradise

Hong Kong is a luxury product shopping paradise. The huge shopping malls of Central, Admiralty, and the street fashion factory in Causeway Bay, are reasons for many travelers to make their way to Hong Kong. Hong Kong also has some amazing beaches and natural sights for outdoor lovers. And it's near Macau, so many travelers take a day trip by ferry to this former Portuguese Port.

Things to Do in Hong Kong

• Shop for relatively low-priced luxuries
• Take a bird's eye view of Victoria Harbor from Victoria Peak.
• Plan a one-day trip to Macau for casinos and colonial architecture.

Jiuzhai Valley National Park (Jiuzhaigou)

It is said that if there should be wonderlands on the earth, Jiuzhai Valley must be one of them. There is no equal elsewhere that has sceneries and fables of dreamlike eloquence, or natural purities like a fairyland as it.

Jiuzhai Valley National Park is located in Nanping County, 450 kilometers (about 280 miles) to the north of Chengdu City. Its name is due to the existence of nine stockaded villages of Tibetan origin, and it is always regarded as a holy mountain and watercourse by the Tibetan people.

It is a great masterpiece of nature having dreamlike scenery, which combines blue lakes, waterfalls, verdant forests, snow-covered mountains, and the folk customs of the Tibetan and Qiang peoples. Legend has it that long long ago the deity of mountain named Dago had a crush on the goddess Semo, and he gave a mirror that was made from wind and cloud to the goddess. However, the devil appeared and made trouble to Semo. Inadvertently, Semo broke the mirror into 108 pieces, which fell down to the earth and then turned to 108 colorful lakes. The lake is also called Haizi by local people.

(Click to enlarge)In addition to the dreamlike sceneries, there are numerous flora and fauna in the scenic area. The natural forest covers an area of nearly 30,000 hectares (about 74,132 acres), including 2,576 higher plant species (24 species of national protected plants) and over 400 lower plant species (212 species of algae). The diversity of flora has provided a good environment for wild animals.  There are 170 species of vertebrates, 141 species of birds and 17 species of rare animals. Among them the first rank has giant pandas, takins and golden monkeys and the second rank has lesser pandas, marmots, and blue sheep.

Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area covers more than 600 square kilometers (about 230 square miles). Shuzheng Valley, Rize Valley and Zechawa Valley are the three main valleys, but the sceneries are far more than you expect. There are Panda Lake Waterfall which has the longest drop in Jiuzhai Valley and freezes to a crystal world in winter, the giant calc-sinter beach Pearl Beach, the Arrow Bamboo Lake that has a large area of bamboo, the favorite food of pandas, and Swan Lake where swans inhabit ...

Transportation:

Pearl Shoal Waterfall

 By Air:

Jiuhuang Airport is about 88 kilometers from the mouth of the valley and about 52 kilometers from Huanglong. It takes 40 minutes to fly from Chengdu to the airport and a half hours' ride from the airport to the scenic area. There are direct and connecting flights here from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xi'an, Kunming, Chongqing and Xiamen.  Please use China Flight to search for the latest schedule and price.

 By Bus:

Regular buses from Chengdu Chadianzi Bus Station and Xinnanmen Bus Station depart around 7:00, 8:00 in the morning. It is suggested to buy the bus ticket in advance. It takes about 10-11 hours from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou.

There are approximately two buses every day between Jiuzhaigou and Songpan, 7:00, 13:00 from Songpan and 7:30, 12:50 vice versa. In addition, there are regular buses from Guangyuan, Jiangyou and Mianyang to Jiuzhaigou. The bus schedule is adjusted to changes. Here is the travel time information by bus from some surrounding places to the scenic area:
from Jiangyou: 7 hours;
from Songpan: 2 hours;
from Huanglong: 3 hours;
from Mianyang: 8 hours

 By train:

Chengdu - Jiuzhaigou Train will be operated between the two places by the end of 2019. By then, one can make a quick rail travel within 2 hours between Jiuzhai Valley and Chengdu.

Map of Jiuzhaigou Ring Way
(Click to enlarge)
 Some self-driving routes are also suggested here:
From Chengdu
1. West Line: Chengdu – Dujiangyan – Wenchuan – Maoxian – Songpan – Jiuzhai Valley (total 440 km)
2. East Line: Chengdu – Mianyang – Jiangyou – Pingwu – Nanping – Jiuzhai Valley (total 475 km)
From Xi'an
Xian – Guangyuan – Zhaohua – Wenxian (Gansu Province) – Jiuzhai Valley (about 720 km)

From Lanzhou
1. Lanzhou – Linxia - Ruoergai Grassland – Chuanzhusi – Jiuzhai Valley (total 804 km)
2. Lanzhou – Lueyang – Chengxian – Wudu – Wenxian – Jiuzhai Valley (total 700 km)
From Dari (in southern Qinghai, adjacent to Sichuan Province)
Dari County – Aba County – Hongyuan Grassland – Mai Wa – Chuanzhusi - Jiuzhai Valley (total 768 km)

Hong Kong Travel Guide

As a Special Administrative Region of China, it is situated on the southeast coast of China, occupying an area of 426 square miles (1,104 square kilometers). The city is one of the world's leading financial, banking and trading centers.

It is made up of four parts: Hong Kong Island, Kowloon Peninsula, the New Territories and the Outlying Islands. The prosperous island is the center of economy, politics, entertainment and shopping with its southern part noted for sea shores and bays. Kowloon is another flourishing part where Tsim Sha Tsui, Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok are the most popular destinations. The New Territories and Outlying Islands are ideal places to experience a peaceful and natural holiday.

The city has a population of about 6,970,000 and most people (about 97% of the population) are Chinese and speak Cantonese and English. There are few language barriers. The most common religions are Buddhism and Christianity.

Chengdu Travel Guide

Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan Province, which is known as the "Heavenly State" (Tian Fu Zhi Guo). Being the natural habitat of cute giant pandas, it is located in the west of Sichuan Basin and in the center of Chengdu Plain. It covers a total area of 12.3 thousand square kilometres (4,749 square miles) with a population of over 11 million.

Benefiting from Dujiangyan Irrigation Project which was constructed in 256 B.C., Sichuan Province is reputed as "Tian Fu Zhi Guo", literally a place richly endowed with natural resources. Chengdu, as the capital, is extremely productive. The Min and Tuo Rivers, two branches of the Yangtze River, connected to forty other rivers, supply an irrigation area of more than 700 square kilometres (270.27 square miles) with 150-180 million kilowatts of water. Consisting of abundant mineral resources, the land is extremely fertile.

 Passport holders of 51 countries including the USA, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Australia, Russia, Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Japan, etc. can enjoy 72 hours free transit via Shuangliu Airport.

Read details about 72-Hour Visa-Free Transit.

As the transport hub in southwest hinterland of China and the main access city to Tibet, Chengdu is easily approached thanks to its air routes and railways extending nationwide. The city bus and subway continue to develop, providing the locals and the tourists with great convenience.

Entertainment

Traveling or living in Chengdu can be a great fun. Besides the amazing places of interest, the city offers a lot inviting activities for visitors and expats. Sampling the famous Sichuan food is a must here. The hot and spicy dishes and varied tasty snacks are sure to whip up your appetite. Go shopping at the Chunxi Road, spend a leisurely afternoon in a teahouse, and watch a Sichuan Opera performance at night – this would be a perfect day giving you a deeper understanding of this charming city.

History & Culture

The history of the city can be traced back 2,400 when the first emperor built his capital here and named the city. Through thousands of years its original name has been kept and its position as the capital and as the significant center of politics, commerce and military of the Sichuan area (once called Shu) has remained unchanged. Since the Han (206B.C.-220) and Tang (618-907) Dynasties when its handicraft industry flourished, the place has been famous for its brocades and embroideries. Shu embroideries still enjoy a high reputation for their bright colors and delicate designs, ranking among the four main embroideries in China. The city was also the place where the bronze culture, an indispensable part of ancient Chinese culture, originated; the place where the Southern Silk Road started; and the place where the earliest paper currency, Jiaozi (not the dumpling!), was first printed. It is listed among the first 24 state-approved historical and cultural cities and owns 23 state and provincial cultural relic units.